Behold the Lamb of God Documentary

This is a nine-minute behind the scenes video. It has short interviews with the performers, song clips, and explanations of how the album and concert came about. There's a lot of interesting information presented, not only about the album, but the Christmas story itself.

I hope you enjoyed the videos. They will remain on the website, so if you'd like to check them out over Christmas, you can. Have a merry and blessed Christmas.

Behold the Lamb of God

Behold, the Lamb of God
Who takes away our sin.
Behold the Lamb of God
The life and light of men.
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again.
Behold the Lamb of God who comes
To take away our sin.

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night - Behold the Lamb of God

The Savior has been born! Do we expect the heavens to be silent? This video is from a church that performed the musical last Christmas, and they do a great job.

"Hallelujah! Christ is born! All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace. Good will henceforth from God to man, begin and never cease! Hallelujah!"

Tuesday Afternoon, 12/16 Newsletter Announcements

Uninvited Classroom Guest - The Flu
Keep an eye out for the flu. As you may know, I stayed home yesterday with Megan when she got the flu, and by mid-morning it was a good thing I did. After some chicken soup and 12 hours of sleep, I'm feeling back to normal. Other students are missing, and students in other grades as well.

Book Orders
The book orders are in. If you are expecting something, contact me and we'll come up with a plan.

The Christmas Program
The program is coming along nicely. Performances are on Thursday at 1:00 and 6:00. Students are asked to dress in typical, nice Sunday clothes. No special costumes are needed for fourth graders.

The Tale of Despereaux
We have nearly finished our latest read aloud book, The Tale of Despereaux, about a mouse who must save a princess. Throw in some wickedly evil rats and a ban on soup and you've got one interesting tale. The movie, by the way, comes out on Friday. (But it's bound to be not nearly as good as the book, right? We'll see.)

Exercise Your Right to Vote!
We have a class bamboo plant. It's not doing so well - a lot of brown tipped leaves and such - so we thought a name might help it along. (That, and getting it out of my basement.) To the right side of the website is a poll. Vote early, vote often. Winner to be determined Friday.

Labor of Love - Behold the Lamb of God

Sometimes we forget that Jesus was born of a woman, true man while also true God. "Silent Night, Holy Night," we sing, "All is calm, all is bright." Labor of Love describes the night Jesus was born in the most realistic way I have heard.

Here's my favorite line:

So he [Joseph] held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

I hope you like it.

It Came to Pass - Behold the Lamb of God

There were some guest singers, so Andrew Peterson isn't singing this one, but the song is still great. It's the beginning of Luke 2. Mary and Joseph are off to Bethlehem to follow Caesar's decree.

Matthew's Begats - Behold the Lamb of God

Just in case there was any doubt that Jesus was part of God's plan, here's his family genealogy, from Abraham, who was promised ancestors outnumbering than the stars in the sky, to King David, to Mary and Joseph and Jesus.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - Behold the Lamb of God

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is an instrumental version of the traditional Christmas carol. Knowing the words, even if they aren't sung, continues the prayer of Deliver Us, asking God to come as he promised to save his people.

Deliver Us - Behold the Lamb of God

This video is from the Ryman Auditorium concert and features Derek Webb singing. Derek Webb is part of the Christan band Caedmon's Call. Deliver Us compares the bondage the Israelites faced as slaves in Egypt to the bondage of sin that enslaves us. The song is a prayer that, since there aren't enough lambs for sacrifice to atone for our sins, that God, Yahweh, deliver us from them instead.

Listen closely at the end for God's answer.

Midterms and More

• Midterms are coming home today. They were in sealed envelopes when students received them, and should be in sealed envelopes when they get home. Hopefully we can cut down on the "I got 4 A's and 3 B's, what you get? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
• Midterms have a signature note at the bottom. Please sign and return it as soon as possible. Thanks in advance.
• The Christmas note that was emailed home yesterday didn't get into mailboxes until after school yesterday. If it's not home today, it's in your child's mailbox.

Christmas Party Information

A printed version of this note is coming home today, but I am posting it here too. Mr. W.

Merry Christmas 4th Grade Parents!!

As we all know, Santa is pretty busy this time of year, so we decided to give him a little help! Dec. 19th is the date of the class Christmas party and gift exchange. We are looking for some help from 4th grade parents in order to make this a festive and fun occasion for everyone!!

The party will be Dec. 19 and will start right after the afternoon Christmas concert – so figure about 2/2:15 pm. It will last about an hour.

We will have the gift exchange during the party. Boys should buy for boys, and girls for girls. The limit is $5 – please try to stay within the guidelines, in order to keep all gifts on “even footing”.

Below is a list of the items we will need. If any of you would be willing to provide any of these, we would really appreciate it and of course, we always love to have parents, grandparents, or any other adults come to join in the fun!

Volunteers
1. Michelle and/or Mike C.
2. Nicole T.
3. __________
4. __________
5. __________

Refreshments
1. __________
2. __________

Christmas Cups
1. __________

Treats
1. Nicole T.
2. __________
3. __________

Paper Plates & Napkins
1. __________
2. __________

Also, we are collecting money to buy a class Christmas gift for Mr. Wilhorn. Please donate whatever you feel comfortable with if you would like to go in on the class gift. (If you have any questions on the class gift, please give me a call).

Thanks again for all your help! Please feel free to contact Nicole at 421-9791 with any questions. Please either call or email Nicole with whatever you are able to help out with at ntrickle@yahoo.com. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and God’s blessings!

Sincerely,
Michelle C. & Nicole T.

So Long, Moses - Behold the Lamb of God

So Long Moses takes listeners from Moses and the Promised land to Joshua and the Canaanites. Then comes King Saul and a description of King David, followed by the Old Testament prophets. Finally, Isaiah tells of the coming Savior.

This video was made for a church that performed the musical in 2007. Again, sorry the video isn't embedded in the email. Click the link at the bottom to see it on the website.

Sorry, Last Message

Apparently you'll have to click on the link at the bottom of the email and go to the website to see the video. I mistakenly thought the video would be embedded into the email.

All of the videos will automatically go to the website, with the newest posted at the top. Which of course means, after several have been posted, you will have to start at the bottom and work up. (Funny how that works...)

The address, if you want to go straight to the site, is http://loudestclass.blogspot.com.

Gather Round Ye Children Come - Behold the Lamb of God

Gather Round Ye Children Come is the first song from the album. This video is from the 2004 performance at the Ryman Auditorium.

Andrew Peterson - Behold the Lamb of God

Many of you know that Christian musician and author Andrew Peterson is coming to Immanuel in March. We (the fourth graders) read his first novel aloud called On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. We loved it.

A few years ago Andrew Peterson wrote an album and began performing Christmas concerts entitled Behold the Lamb of God. For these last two weeks before Christmas, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of Andrew Peterson's music and give you a musical countdown to Christ, so to speak. I'll post one video a day on the website. Well, two videos today, actually. Feel free to forward the emails on to others you think would appreciate them or direct them to our website.

Each day until Christmas break another will be posted. Most are from a recording of the concert performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Some feature other singers, one is a simple video made by a fan, and some feature a church that performed Behold the Lamb of God at their church. Regardless of the performances, the songs are all Andrew Peterson's, and they all tell the remarkable story, starting back in the Old Testament, of a Savior sent to save us all. I hope you enjoy the videos.

Here is Andrew explaining why he started Behold the Lamb of God in the first place.

Friday, 12/5 Newsletter Updates

Midterms Next Week
It's that time already. Second quarter midterms will be calculated over the weekend and sent home early next week - probably on Tuesday. When you get them, please return the signature form right away with any questions or comments.

Christmas Party and Gift Exchange
On December 19 we will have our traditional Christmas party. The newsletter explained some simple guidelines. Please keep gifts in the $5 range. It's nice to exchange gifts, but there can be challenges if all of the gifts are not "even" so to speak. Boys will exchange with boys, and girls with girls. Names will be randomly selected.

Christmas Program and Memory Work
Yes, we are working on memory work for the Christmas program. Next week we will do:
1. Monday - While Shepherds Watched v. 1-2
2. Tuesday - While Shepherds Watched v. 3-4
3. Thursday - Angels We Have Heard on High (including the horribly difficult chorus "Glo-o-o-o-o-oooo-o-o-o-o-oooo-o-o-o-o-oria!")
4. Friday - Whatever needs work.
5. Don't forget Q2W5 slips.

Book Order
Any last minute book orders? I'm planning to place the order tonight, but if you still want to order something - secretly or not - send me an email and I'll add it to the order. You can send the payment in next week.

Spelling List - shelves, sheep, teeth, elves, mice, calves, spacecraft, jeans, feet, women, gentlemen, geese Additional words: series, oxen, deer, halves BONUS WORDS: salmon, scissors

More Basketball Information to Clarify

The last basketball message only applies to fourth graders. There are no other scheduling changes that I am aware of.

IMPORTANT - Tonight's Basketball Games

The boys basketball game for tonight has been cancelled due to a scheduling mix-up. The boys have no game and no practice tonight. They will be coming home.

The girls game is going to be played as scheduled. All girls will be ready to leave at 3:30 to "beat the after school crowd" and to make sure they have enough time to arrive and be ready for their 4:15 game.

All players that this affects, especially the boys, are trying to make - or have already made - phone calls to their parents. Email me if you have any questions.

I hope all of that makes sense!

Newsletter Updates for 12/3 (or Morning, 12/4)

December Book Orders
Two book orders were sent home yesterday. Sorry for the delay, but here are some books I can recommend. And, I have an independent contract with a certain Jolly Ole' Elf, one Fat Man in Red who goes by the names Kris Kringle and Father Christmas. All of which simply means if you want to order something in secret, let me know.

These orders are due Friday and will (should) be in before Christmas break.

Arrow December:

• Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath - They're long and can be challenging, but worth the effort.
• Everest Pack by Gordon Korman
• The Name of this Book is Secret
• The City of Ember
• Emily Windsnap Set - I haven't read these, they're Kyra's recommendation (and from what she's told me, they sound cool!
• A Pizza the Size of the Sun
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Shel Silverstein Duo
• The Million Dollar Shot
• And many others that look good, but I haven't read them...

Holiday Gift Books:

• Judy Moody and Stink: The Holly Joliday - Another I haven't read, but I love Judy Moody and Stink books. This is the first book featuring them together.
• The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones (any fourth graders heard of this one?
• The Willoughbys
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret
• Don't Bump the Glump
• Judy Moody Collection
• Fudge Set
• Gingerbread Friends (and I'm not saying this because we just got to meet the author.)
• Olive the Other Reindeer (a cute picture book)
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Newbery Authors Set - I have read 4 of these 8.
• There are also a lot of picture books that are good.

The 39 Clues

In case you haven't heard the details from your fourth grader, The 39 Clues are a new series of books. There will be 10 in all over the next 2 years, written by 10 different authors. The follow Dan and Amy Cahill around the world as they seek out the 39 clues that will reveal the secret of their family's history and power. It's a fast paced adventure. We loved book one.

We finished reading book one last week. On Monday we watched a webcast interview with Gordan Korman, the author of book two. On Tuesday book two came out, and we plan on reading it aloud after Christmas break.

In class we have been participating in the online game here. But it's not all games. Students are doing some research and writing. There's tons of teamwork, code breaking brain games, and additional information about story characters. (For example, we saw Irina Spasky in photos with President Bush and Queen Elizabeth.) It's been a long time since I've seen a book capture an entire class. It's been pretty fun to watch.

Check Your Church Calendars...

Okay, okay, for all you careful readers out there, we are starting ADVENT, not LENT on Sunday. Enjoy your first Sunday in ADVENT.

(At least I got the "Coming of a Savior" part right.)