Chris Tomlin 'Stakes Claim' for Jesus This Christmas
Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship is certainly a reflection of Tomlin's heart for worship. From the lyric choices made for the original songs to the traditional Christmas selections, everything about the album points to exalting the born Savior.
"I love everything about Christmas – the joy it brings the family, the warmth, but the heart of it is Jesus and it's an amazing thing when you grab a hold of what really has happened," Tomlin explained.
There are special features on the album as well. You will hear some of Christian music's favorites – such as newcomer Lauren Daigle on the song "Noel," All Sons & Daughters on "What Child is This" and Kristyn Getty as she reads Scripture in her soothing Irish accent during the song "Silent Night."
Tomlin says his favorite line in the album comes from the song "Noel," which beckons, "Come and see what God has done."
"He came in humility to a stable in Bethlehem a small town," the crooner described. "No fanfare and yet when the shepherds and the wise man encountered him they all bowed down because they all knew. This was the son of God, the messiah being born. To put that back into people's heart and mind is what I'm trying to do with this music."
Not all the songs on the album are original. However Tomlin did cover some Christmas classics between this new album and his last one. He joked that if he does another Christmas album in the future, he would have to do all originals since he's already covered so many.
"Adore" is one of Tomlin's favorite songs because "it's exactly what you think a Christmas song should be," he maintains.
Tomlin was also asked what he thought people who suffer from seasonal or holiday depression should do and offered:
"The big search in life is for happiness, for people to be happy. When you think about Christmas and being happy, people are usually happy or they're really depressed or it brings back hard things. [It's] a season of family and it makes it even harder when it's focused all over the world," he said. "I think that for me one piece of wisdom I've learned is that gratitude brings joy and happiness. Being happy doesn't always bring thankfulness and gratitude but gratitude always brings joy and happiness."
He concluded, "I think it's a season of being grateful for what God has done for you and me in our lives. Grateful for what he's given us, grateful for where you are in life, grateful that your breathing, grateful that you woke up in the morning those simple things turns the spirit when you start with a grateful heart."
Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship is now available on iTunes. For more information on Tomlin, visit christomlin.com