There is a reason why Matthew West is my favorite Contemporary Christian songwriter of all time: he knows how to tell a story, he knows how to build a beautiful melody around his words, and almost every song he makes is a musical masterpiece. His latest single, One Last Christmas, is the story of Dax Locke, a little boy was was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at thirteen months. The song tells the story of how his parents, determined to let Dax see Christmas, began to set up Christmas early, with decorations festooning their home. Soon, the entire community caught on, and the whole town followed afterward. A website was built to tell his story, and soon pictures from all over the world came in, where homes were decorated in his honor. Today, Matthew and his parents are trying to raise enough money to run the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, that took such wonderful care of their son, for one day. The total cost to run St. Jude’s for one day is $1.6 million dollars. Already, they have raised a quarter of a million dollars. You can donate to their beautiful cause here.
Friends, I can’t tell you how affected I am by Matthew West’s One Last Christmas. Not even twenty seconds into the video, I was crying already, and my heart goes out to the Locke family. Matthew hit the nail on the head: “it’s the news no one hopes for, every parent’s greatest fear, finding out the child you love so much might not make it through the year.” I look at Nathan and Nicki, and when even the slightest wisp of fear comes into my heart for them, it takes all my strength and faith to command those negative thoughts at bay. Watching this video, and the beautiful memories the Locke couple made with their little boy, reminds us of the things we should hold close and dear, the stuff that really matters. But you know what? God remains sovereign, and he’s going to use the legacy of this little boy, this beautiful baby boy, to touch lives and generations. And Matthew, you’ve done it again. God bless you.
ONE LAST CHRISTMAS Lyrics
Matthew West
It’s the news that no one hopes for,
Every parent’s greatest fear
Finding out the child you love so much
Might not make it through the year
Now the thought of spending Christmas
Without him just feels wrong
They’ve been praying for a miracle,
Now they’re praying he can just hold on
For one last Christmas one last time
One last season when the world is right
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night
They’d give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
Middle of September
Still seventy degrees
Daddy climbs up in the attic
Brings down candles
Hangs the lights on all the trees
Then the neighbors started asking
And pretty soon word got around
First it was the neighborhood,
Before too long they lit up that whole town
For one last Christmas one last time
One last season when the world is right
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night
They’d give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
Twenty-seventh of October,
His time was wearing thin
Friends and family, even strangers
That they didn’t know brought presents in
He was weak but he was smiling
Like there was nothing even wrong
They said he wouldn’t make it,
Looks like he got to see it after all
For one last Christmas one last time
One last season when the world is right
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night
They’d give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
