Still, Still, Still

I made this little montage of images to accompany the new recording of my arrangement and text of the venerable German Christmas song, Still, Still, Still. It is one of six Christmas songs we recorded this year, including a Christmas Gloria based on "Angels We Have Heard on High," a new text and arrangement of "In the Bleak Midwinter," and a set of "Four European Carols for Small Choirs," of which one is this version of "Still, Still, Still." How all this plays out as a published recording will be negotiated over the next couple of months, but the project itself, thirteen songs in all, is finally done, with a working title of, To You Who Bow. More on that as it develops.

For today, though, we have to admit that it has been a tough couple of months for the world, and it's good not to forget that as we celebrate this feast. May the words and sounds of this season not just narcotize us against the pain around us and within us, but give us hope to "stand in the wind and walk in the reign" of God with Jesus. That's my new mantra, borrowed from the writing of the great John Dominic Crossan: "We can't do it without God, and God won't do it without us." Salvation—the health and good life of humanity—is a work of participatory justice.

So I send you love and hope from the three of us, and from Gary Daigle, who produced the recording with patience and skill. Blessings of the season to all, and blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.