You Have Promised (An Advent Song)

I was intrigued by Advent from the first moment I started to read about it. Maybe it's because I feel like I've been in a long period of waiting; maybe it's because I've needed I reason to look forward to Christmas; either way, this season of longing and anticipation captured my attention.

For a few years now, I've wanted to write a Christmas song. In a church where we play predominately contemporary music with a few hymns interspersed throughout the year, it confused me to get to Christmas and play predominately classic Christmas carols with one--occasionally two--contemporary Christmas songs. Being a songwriter, I've wanted to tackle this lack of contemporary Christmas worship songs, but never felt I had anything fresh to bring to the table. But Advent brought some fresh inspiration for me.

I started the song off from the perspective of Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:36-38). To me, she's a shining example of devotion and trust in God's promises, and then tried to lead into a more corporate expression. In the chorus, I hoped to bring together the hope of the Israelites with the eschatological hope of Christians--referring back to God's plan to restore creation and set the world to rights. (1)

As far as the actual music goes, I tried to use the music to emphasize the words. The long waiting period is in a minor key, while the hope of the chorus is more major. I left a lot of musical space, hoping to represent the waiting. Similarly, I left the end of the song unresolved.

1. See N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, (HarperOne: 2008).