One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is the concept of the Trinity. How can God be one . . . yet three? Three distinct personages yet all ONE God. Mind blowing.

But this blog is not meant to try and explain the Trinity. I am not equipped to tackle that assignment. Instead, it is meant to, once again, show how much God cares for and loves us, for even in this difficult concept, God has surrounded us with multiple examples of the concept of three in one . . . though some are less perfect than others and none can adequately or fully explain the Holy Trinity. Our mind is too small, but the examples help: the three parts of an egg, the three states of water, a triangle, fire (which must have fuel, heat, and oxygen), time (past, present, and future).

But my favorite example is music, for music not only consists of three elements (lyrics, melody, rhythm), but it also feeds the three parts of man (intellect, emotions, and body).

The lyrics must first be understood by the mind before they can penetrate the soul.

The melody (restful, romantic, energetic) feeds the emotions, while the rhythm is designed to get our body into the act . . . sometimes without our even knowing it as our foot will start tapping or our head bobbing.

We are entering the season of music—Christmas music: Classical, modern, pop, religious, rock, children’s. Some are designed to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas while others are merely meant to make us laugh. Some move our souls deeply; others bring a smile to our face. But behind it all is the cohesion of three creating one.

My favorite Christmas carol of all time is “O Holy Night.”  For me, no other song marries the words and the melody so completely. It is a song that goes deep into my being. “Carol of the Bells” is my second favorite Christmas song and for a very different reason. I don’t know if I could even tell you any of the lyrics, but I love the upbeat rhythm and beautiful melody.

I would love it if you would share one or two of your favorite songs of the season. And, by the way, I hope you are blessed this Christmas season as you reflect on the triune God who came to be with man in the flesh.

Last week I shared the background story of an old hymn, the words which are still relevant today.

This week, I would like to share two songs that are just now hitting the Christian charts, one by the by the best selling female artist of all time—Cece Winans—whose last number one hit was in 2017, and the other by a relative unknown—Katy Nichole—who posted only a chorus on TikTok, but “in a matter of months, the clip had been heard more than 80 million times, leading Katy to finish the song.”

I share these two songs together and on the heels of “Jesus Paid It All” because just like Elvina Hall and John Grape’s hymn, both of these modern worship songs proclaim the power of the name of Jesus—one in a powerful anthem and the other in a crescendoing prayer. The style of music may change over the years, but the message never does.

Also, when I wrote this blog, the world was in relative peace. Now a portion of it is not. And while both of these songs were most likely written to speak to individuals as they face their personal struggles, they are also appropriate for what is happening in Ukraine. While we may not have any hand in deciding foreign policy, and some of us may not have the funds to send relief money nor the ability to help or harbor refugees, we all have the ability to pray . . . to pray for Ukraine and its people . . . and to pray in Jesus’ name, the most powerful name in heaven and on earth.

Here are Cece Winan’s “Believe For It” and Katy Nichole’s “In Jesus Name.”