New Christmas songs for 2020
Kurt Neuswanger • Dec 03, 2020
You can hear a number of great new Christmas songs this year on KJOL. Here are some of the most distinctive ones:
Matthew West
"I had the idea for 'The Hope of Christmas' pretty early in 2020,” wrote West.
"There’s a line in the song that says, 'These days peace on earth is hard to find, and I need you to remind me one more time.' I guess that pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling this year, and I have a feeling I’m not the only one. I see a world reeling from the turmoil of a pandemic, political divides, and racial tension.
“Writing this song helped me remember the reason why we can always have hope. Hope has a name. His name is Jesus, the Hope of Christmas."
Take me back to Silent Night
My heart was full and the world was right
Cuz right now the world looks nothing like
those innocent Decembers
These days peace on earth is hard to find
And I need you to remind me one more time
You’re still the hope of Christmas
You’re still the light when the world looks dark
You’re still the hope of Christmas
And You’re still the hope of my heart
Brandon Heath
This song takes the unusual approach of imagining a conversation between Joseph and Mary with Jesus as a youth.
Joseph:
I was young and unprepared
Your mom herself was just a girl
We were a long long way from home
That was trembling in her voice
When she looked at me and said
It’s time to have this baby boy
Mary:
He (Joseph) was pacing around the room
Made for you in hay
We both knew that very soon
Our whole world was gonna change
He (Joseph) held my hand and whispered “breathe.”
Your first cry cut through the noise
Then your eyes looked up at me
I said, "My God. Our baby boy."
You’re everything we prayed you would be
More promise in your eyes than I have ever seen
You're the prince of peace, our Savior, Lord, and King
Heaven's pride and joy, but you're still our baby boy
Rend Collective
Hailing from a small town off the coast of Northern Ireland, Rend Collective says they want to be known as a celebration band, worshiping for God's Glory and fame. And the celebration continues in rousing Irish style on “Saviour’s Day.”
Today is the Saviour’s Day
Go tell it on the mountain, hope is alive
Go shout it in the valley love has arrived
Gloria glory in the highest
Oh let the church choir sing out in Christmas praise
Let the bells ring out on the Saviour’s day
David & Nicole Binion
The Binions recorded their Christmas album live in the studio of TBN in Dallas. They were supported by a number of guests including the Potter’s House Choir, which is clearly heard in this enthusiastic song.
Oh come, saint or sinner
His love knows no limits
Jesus is born in Bethlehem
Oh come join the heavens
Sing worship, sing praises
Jesus is born in Bethlehem
Oh clap your hands, lift up your voice
Let us adore, Christ the Lord
Our annual Spring FriendRaiser is underway for the month of April; and as a part of that, our theme this year is Share The Light. As you share the Gospel and the Light of Christ, KJOL has compiled 30 tips for every day of the month. Here they are:
During KJOL’s April “Friendraiser” month, we want to say THANK YOU to our faithful supporters. And THANK YOU to everyone who makes a first-time donation. And finally THANK YOU to God, the giver of all good gifts in our lives, starting with Jesus Christ! KJOL has a lot of new songs that say THANK YOU. I hope you enjoy them! That Thank You Song! Citizen Way Thank God Stars Go Dim Thank You Life.Church Worship I Thank God Housefires Thanks Giver Crowder Thanks and Praise Lucy Grimble and Vineyard Music A Thousand Thank Yous Sarah Kroger Thankful VERSES Thank You Jesus For The Blood Charity Gayle
In January, we told you about four new artists at the KJOL music blog . This month, we have four more new artists. Jordan Smith “This Is Jesus” Jordan Smith is a 30 year old Kentucky native who grew up singing in the church choir. In 2015, he won NBC’s The Voice. He sang “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and "Mary Did You Know." Natalie Layne “Amen” Natalie Layne is a 24 year old Colorado Springs native, where she was a worship leader at New Life Church. She received a masters degree in piano from Belmont University in Nashville. In 2019, she won Belmont’s Christian Showcase. She continues to serve as a worship leader at her church in Nashville. Terrian “Big God” Terrian (Woods) is a singer/songwriter from Memphis. She is also a member of TobyMac's band Diverse City. And she serves on the staff of AngelStreet in Memphis, which mentors girls as part of an all girls choir. Seph Schleuter “Counting My Blessings” Seph Schlueter ( pronounced “seff shleeter”) spent 7 years as a missionary. In 2020 he formed the worship collective Damascus Worship, in conjunction with the organization “Damascus” which conducts two-year programs to develop leaders who will impact their generation for Christ with the aim of bringing revival to the Catholic Church.
He had noticed we had been off the air on 94.5 FM in Delta…and I related to him it was one of “those” weekends for our poor equipment. Not only did our AM 1400 Delta transmitter go down causing us to make a very expensive replacement only weeks before, but our FM transmitter in Delta went down at the same time as our Montrose 91.9FM transmitter, and only hours after our whole network went down across the Western Slope!
The other day a kindly woman knocked on my door asking for a donation to help build the local swimming pool. I came back with a glass of water. Doesn’t it feel great to give to a good cause??
The English version of the hymn “How Great Thou Art” turns 75 years old in 2024. To mark the anniversary, a new recording has been released, including a brand new verse by Matt Redman. First a little history… Swedish pastor Carl Boberg wrote the original lyrics in 1885. Boberg said that after a strong thunderstorm passed by, he opened his window and heard church bells ringing. He immediately was inspired to write his poem, set to the tune of a Swedish folk melody. It was translated into Russian, where English missionary Stuart Hine heard it while in Ukraine in 1931. He wrote two new verses (3 & 4) and translated it into English in 1949—which is the 75 th anniversary. British missionaries around the world soon began to spread the song. Eventually it reached Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea , who performed it during Graham’s 1957 New York Crusade. The audience liked it so much, they asked Shea to sing it over and over. Graham then used it every week on his Hour Of Decision radio program. Fifteen artists have now collaborated to record the 75th anniversary edition, called “How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)” . When you hear the song on KJOL, the first two voices are from Chris Tomlin and Hillary Scott . The remaining voices include: Kari Jobe and her husband, Cody Carnes Naomi Raine (Maverick City Music) Taya (formerly with Hillsong) Blessing Offor (from Nigeria) Matt Maher (who also plays piano) Matt Redman For the 75 th anniversary, the Stuart Hine Trust commissioned Matt Redman and Mitch Wong to write a new fifth verse: Until that day When heaven bids us welcome, And as we walk this broken warring world, Your kingdom come, Deliver us from evil, And we’ll proclaim our God how great You are! And we’ll proclaim, our God how great You are Redman said they wanted to tie the verse to Stuart Hine’s work in Ukraine, especially in light of the current conflict there. “I wanted the word ‘war’ in there,” said Redman . “It’s kind of a gritty word. But we have to sing about both the everyday and the eternal.” Time will tell if the fifth verse becomes a staple in hymnals. But few will argue that “How Great Thou Art” is one of America’s favorite hymns. And with this new rendition, hopefully it will continue to be loved by future generations.
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