This year has challenged us in new ways and blessed us with new experiences! As we approach the season of the family-bringing-together holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I pray that we continue to grow and experience what newness God brings us each day. Thinking back on the past couple of years, I recall friends of mine mentioning that they feel the joyousness of the holidays a little less than we are able to remember, to which I’ve always felt that we’re the ones responsible for building the joyous energy of Christmas for not only ourselves but the people around us. It’s something we all have a hand in making as amazing as we can, in unity with each other, while focusing on what the season is really all about: The birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This November, I felt the song, “Light of the World” by Lauren Daigle would match this feeling of togetherness within the holidays.
“The world waits for a miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope”
This song softly opens with only piano with light drums that sets the soundscape of innocence and simplicity just before Lauren Daigle, the vocalist, begins to sing what sounds like a prayer. Daigles’ soft vocals match the feeling in the beginning of the song before adding a little more instrumental presence in the chorus. Daigle refers to Jesus as “Emmanuel,” (also spelled, “Immanuel”) which is a title that we hear around Christmas that means, “God is with us.” We can find this term in the Old Testament and in the Hebrew Bible. The first time we see this title is in The Book of Isaiah and then being referenced in The Book of Matthew. This title is so important because before Jesus was born God was thought to be in the distant place of Heaven, but Emmanuel is the prophecy of God coming to live with His people which is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.
“And can you hear the angels singing”
The chorus of the song is a single line that builds upon itself which gives it a sort of reflective quality while each time the instruments build upon themselves which is perfect for this part of the song. The chorus is easy and flowy while the verses carry the meaning of the song. In the second verse is when we start to begin to see that the song is about the birth of Jesus and we are reminded of a nativity scene as we hear about the coming of the, ‘Prince of Peace, Emmanuel’.
“He is the song for the suffering
He is Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come
He has come, Emmanuel”
We roll right into the bridge of the song after the second chorus. It has a similar flowy-ness that the chorus has but has a stronger build that I really enjoyed. Big musical swells in songs add to the large sound and are something I’ve always admired in music. It should also be noted that there are a few different versions of this song as well! The version that has more of a lounge type of sound to it is from Daigle’s 2023 album, “Behold,” while the single version from 2015 has more of a worship-style type of sound. Check out both of them and let me know which one suits your holiday vibe!
“Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world”
I hope that this wasn’t too early of a Christmas song for you all, but like I said, to get into the vibe of the Christmas season, it’s up to us to make that happen. However that may look or feel may be different for different people, but I feel that the positive impact it has on people may be more than we know and more than surface deep. People always seem to be in a better mood around Christmas, family, and together times. It would be nice to bring that amount of joy around just a little sooner, and being reminded that Jesus was born for us is a great place to start.
References:
Daigle, Lauren. “Lauren Daigle – ‘Light Of The World’ (Official Lyric Video).” YouTube, 1 Dec. 2023, Accessed 06 Nov. 2024.
Daigle, Lauren. “Lauren Daigle – Light of the World.” Genius, 2015, Accessed 06 Nov. 2024.
Daigle, Lauren. “Light of the World – [Lyric Video] Lauren Daigle.” YouTube, LANDON’S LYRIC VIDEOS, 28 Dec. 2017, Accessed 06 Nov. 2024.
The Religion Teacher. “What Does Emmanuel Mean in the Bible?” YouTube, 16 Dec. 2020, Accessed 06 Nov. 2024