Have you ever listened to a new song and felt a warm, fuzzy sensation in your chest? Or a sudden welling up of tears?

There’s just something magical about masterfully written songs where a beautiful melody brings to life words that resonate with our hearts and articulate our unspoken emotions and convictions.

That was my exact experience when I heard “The Story of Christmas”. It felt like a warm cup of chocolate on a cold rainy night. 

But it wasn’t just the tune that lulled my heart.

Written by The Fireplace Collective founder Ling Jia Hao and emotively belted out by the singers, Priscilla Tan and Marcus Lee (李俊緯), the lyrics urged me to remember the meaning of Christmas.

They beckoned me to open my heart once more to the truth of Christianity I have grown too familiar with – that Jesus, the hope of the world, was born to die.

THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS

Priscilla herself shared a similar experience when she first heard the song.

“I teared up when I listened to it because it carried so much hope,” she recounted.

Christmas, in particular, has a special part to play in her music journey.

While Priscilla has been singing mostly at weddings and corporate events for the last five years, she had an opportunity to perform and share at an outreach event in her church last Christmas.

That event was a significant turning point in her personal ministry.

Keen to use her gift in music to serve God in a similar way, Priscilla was looking forward to participating in another outreach this Christmas. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, her hopes to do so were dashed.

Yet it was through “The Story of Christmas” that Priscilla discovered a different perspective.

“I realised we didn’t need an event, and we could still do an outreach through this song,” she shared. “So I sang the song and I really hope that it blesses many hearts.”

THE STAR THAT LIGHTS MY DARKEST NIGHT

In fact, the pandemic was the very incubator for the birth of this song. 

“Christmas has been known to fill our hearts with a sense of hope and peace,” shared Jia Hao.

“But the strange thing is this, once Christmas night ends and the next day comes, this hope feels short-lived. We’re plunged back into the reality of life.

“And right now in our reality, with COVID-19 happening, the situations and difficulties are real.” 

Furthermore, Jia Hao was facing his own personal challenges during this season.

“The Lord led me to start a new ministry and company called The Fireplace Collective. And His timing was impeccable. [This happened] right when the COVID lockdown happened.

“While companies were winding up because of the economic downturn, God decided that this was the best time to start one.”

Hence, “The Story of Christmas” reflects Jia Hao’s very own conversation with God through this season of learning to trust and obey Him against the odds.

After all, it seemed an impractical time to start The Fireplace Collective, especially since he is the sole breadwinner for his family.

And it is against this backdrop that he wrote these lyrics:

Can this peace be real?
In this troubled world
Where pain surrounds
Fear abounds
Where can this God be found?

Yet Jia Hao pointed out that just like the story of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:7, the jar of flour and the jug of oil never ran dry for his family.

“We witnessed the miracles of God, one after another, sustaining us as we stepped out in faith and obedience.

“People would just bless us financially, and not because we asked or tried to raise support. Somehow God moved people’s hearts to bless us.”

“So I’ve come to realise that following God doesn’t come with the guarantee of a comfortable life, but what it does come with is the promise of His presence, that He will be with us always (Matthew 28:20). That is our greatest assurance and hope.”

Having personally tasted and seen God’s goodness even during this time, Jia Hao shared the hope he wished to communicate through the song.

“While COVID has seemingly robbed us of the joy of Christmas, the true spirit of Christmas is actually anchored upon a God who would cross every barrier, go to great lengths, even to the point of sacrificing His own life, so that He can be with us and be in an eternal relationship with us.”

NO GREATER LOVE

It is this precious and real experience of God’s love at work in his situation that led to his heartfelt reflections on the meaning of Christmas, penned in these lyrics.

In a little manger hidden from our eyes
The hope of all the earth was
filled with heaven’s light
He came to save
He made a way
Love took Him to the cross
So you and I may know

No greater love
Than the love of the cross
Jesus our rescue
Jesus our hope

So while this Christmas may be different from the norm, it is by no means a terrible one. For the essence of Christmas isn’t found in the events, the gatherings, the holidays or the presents.

Instead, the true essence of Christmas is captured best in the final line of the song:

            The story of Christmas, is Christ in your heart.

And in this we can have a hope that would outlast any pandemic and any storm of life.

Jia Hao’s final message is this: “If you’ve never known this God or knew Him for a little while, could this be the right moment to open your heart to Him? My prayer is that ‘The Story of Christmas’ will become your story in this special season.”

The Fireplace Collective is a creative agency with a mission to empower the Christian community to fulfil the Great Commission. For more details, visit their website, Facebook or Instagram.

“The Story of Christmas” is also available on Spotify and Apple Music.

All photos courtesy of The Fireplace Collective.