‘Tis the season! For weeks now, most places of business have been playing all types of Christmas music—sometimes exceptionally far from the definition of that word. If you’re anything like me, you perk up a little when a song like “Away in a Manger” or “The First Noel” comes through in between Santa Claus and his deafening Holly Jolly Jingle Bells. But sometimes with everything going on during this season, it can be easy to slip into merely singing the words of these well known Christmas carols even when we play them at home or add them into our worship services at church. How often do we actually pause and consider the deep, profound and altogether humbling truths found in both old and new Christmas carols?
Today I’d like to invite you to do just that. Will you join me in delighting in the beautiful themes threaded through these timeless songs?
The first theme I’d like to invite you into is “Holy”. The fact that Jesus Christ—fully God and entirely perfect, set apart and pure, came to sin-filled earth as a man should always fill us with awe. His holiness was by no means erased by the sin, instead He brought His holiness to earth in order to set us free from darkness and call us back into that holiness through communion with Him.
Holy
“O holy night! the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope- the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!”
“Holy, holy, hallelujah our King
You’re the One who sets the world free
Holy, holy, earth and heaven will sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah our King!”
“O Holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel.”1
This plea for the Lord to come and dwell with us is another thread very present in Christmas carols. “Come” is a theme found both as our prayer for Christ to dwell with us, and as an exhortation to us as believers to continually come to Him.
Come
“O come, desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of peace
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
“Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.”
“O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above
Glory to God
All Glory in the Highest;
Jesus to Thee be all Glory Given
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.”
“Lay down all your bitterness
Turn from sin’s toil and distress
Find His grace and perfect rest
O children come.”2
The choirs of angels which sang in exultation at Christ’s birth were perhaps the first to extend this invitation to come as found in that last song. The message, and the givers of this message, are another prominent aspect of Christmas carols.
Angels
“Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!”
“Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story
now proclaim Messiah’s birth.”
“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!””3
The message of the angels was not only an invitation to peace and light and life, it was also a message filled with great joy—a joy still present in the carols we sing today!
Joy
“God rest ye merry, gentlemen,
let nothing you dismay,
remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas Day
to save us all from Satan’s pow’r
when we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy!”
“Go spread the news of Emmanuel
Joy and peace for the weary heart
Lift up your heads, for your King has come
Sing, for the Light overwhelms the dark
Glory shining for all to see
Hope alive, let the gospel ring
God has made a way, He will have the praise
Tell the world His name is Jesus!”4
In closing, as we listen to and revel in these beautiful carols this Christmas season, (those mentioned here, and the many, many more!), may we not allow them to merely wash over us without touching us. May we act on the truths found within, as the carols themselves urge us to do…
“Down in a lowly manger
our humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation,
that blessed Christmas morn.
Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing!
This, this is Christ, the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn king!
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere!
Go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born!”5
1 O Holy Night, Hallelujah Our King, O Little Town of Bethlehem
2 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, O Come, All Ye Faithful, O Children Come
3 Angels We Have Heard on High, Angels from the Realms of Glory, Hark the Herald Angels Sing
4 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, Sing We the Song of Emmanuel
5 Go Tell it on the Mountain, Joy to the World, What Child is This, Angels from the Realms of Glory
Written by NBB Alumna: Bethany Boone
