more from "behold..."

if you havent read the post below, then read it first, then come back and read this interview with andrew peterson in which he talks about his album and christmas show "behold the lamb of god"

some excerpts...

"...instead of containing arrangements of traditional carols,
this album is full of new original songs which attempt to
tell the Gospel story in a new way. The entire first half
of the album dwells on the Old Testament (which often
gets overlooked nowadays, but is really just as much about
Christ as the New Testament). It paints a picture of
Israel through the stories of Moses, the Passover Feast,
the kings like David, and the prophets – all of which
point to the coming of Jesus. And it’s such a depressing
picture. After doing the first half of the show each night,
when we finally get to the song that bridges the gap
between the Old and New Testaments, I feel so tired
from singing about all the Old Testament stuff.
The album really tries to convey how Israel must have felt.
All the songs are minor and dark. We often forget about how
long Israel waited and yearned for a Messiah. "

regarding the song "labor of love"...
"I try not to write songs that have already been written.
So, in this case, the song “Labor of Love” is about Mary,
but not the peaceful Mary we see in nativity sets holding
Baby Jesus. I have three kids, and I was there when my
wife gave birth to each of them. Now, if my wife had given
birth in a barn, in the dark, in the middle of the night,
there is no way she would have looked as nice as Mary
looked in these scenes. Childbirth is violent and painful,
and so the first line of this song is “It was not a silent night.
/ There was blood on the ground.” I think there’s significance
in the fact that God chose to come into the world
that way – bathed in blood and pain. "

"Christmas is not just a holiday. It’s an amazing story,
and because of Christ, it’s not just a story that resonates
deep within us, but we are all a part of the story. We’re
wrapped up in the history that God is writing."

read the whole thing here

you may still be able to catch this amazing show on tour (through dec. 15th)
. check here for dates and locations