But who can blame them? Have you taken a moment to reconsider these rich ideas set to song:

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!
And ransom captive Israel.

I would contend that few lines are more beautifully written than this:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

It's almost too much for me to sing these words at times. But for all the rich theology, I'm not going to lie: I am a sucker for some of the less church-y tunes, too. Just this last week, my wife and I did what we always do to kick off the Christmas season: we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. Call me a sentimental sap and even a prodigal who's wandered far from the true meaning of Christmas (don't worry, Linus always brings me back). When I hear those little cartoon kids sing "Christmastime," something unlocks in me. I even made that melancholy little tune my ring tone for the month.

I know that I need help.

Speaking of needing help—and of Christmastime—when you hear that Christmastime is here, you may very well feel your stomach fly squarely into your chest. It's that time of year that people stumble through your doors expecting something that is a cut above the nauseating nostalgia. It's that time of year where you must the old story and yet want to tell it anew. It's that time of year that you'd like to give the little girl with blonde curls a bit of competition for the hearts and minds of your people (or to put it in more Christianly terms: you'd like for sermon and solo at least to work in concert).

Yes, the first half of this meandering entry was written to get you to notice that we've put together what we feel are some helpful resources for the Advent/Christmas season. Take a moment to make your way through the links we've gathered in the left panel section of the blog. For those of you who frequent the blog but are nonmembers, we're offering an article, an illustration, a sermon series idea, and a sermon series builder for FREE in the sections entitled "Most Read from Preaching Today" and "Sermons We Like." You'll also notice that the fine folks at FaithVisuals are offering a Christmas-themed video backdrop for FREE (linked under the section entitled "Videos We Like"). As for some things that cost a little but are well worth the investment, take a look at "Recommended Reading." If you want to know how some of the greats have preached the beauty of God putting skin on, check out the resources we've highlighted, all available through CBD.com.