Hammer on Anvil '

As our church choir has been moving through the Advent season, one of the songs we've been rehearsing has challenged my perception. I have identified very strongly with Jesus' mother, Mary, in the story of His birth. As a young, inexperienced teenager, I feel her uncertainty at what lies before her. As a woman, I wonder what it must have been like to have a marriage arranged for me. As a mother, I know how difficult it would be to endure watching my child suffer the way Jesus did.

This beautiful piece of music reminds me that the story of Christ's birth, life and death contained even more dimensions for Mary than these things I can empathize with. The chorus truly sums up the unique position she found herself in, and is a wonderful picture of the heart of Jesus. "I'll hold you in the beginning, you will hold me in the end."  Enjoy.