You’re Invited: Celebrating By Singing Christmas Carols

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

ELF

I love Christmas music. Whether it’s an exciting version of “Jingle Bells”, an old Christmas hymn like “Silent Night” being sung at church, or a beautiful instrumental arrangement of “The Christmas Song” (my personal favorite), carols successfully give off the ‘Christmas vibe’. There is just something about Christmas music that draws you into the Christmas season. Often times, when I catch the Christmas bug way earlier than anyone else (oh you know, mid-summer), I will satisfy my excitement for that coming Christmas by spending a day jamming out to Christmas carols. Usually that appeases my Christmas craving so that I can hold off until officially starting my all-out celebrating in October! The fact is, Christmas carols are one of the most popularized ways to celebrate Christmas and also one of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC IN BIBLICAL CULTURE

Music has been such an important part of our world – so much so that it is called the ‘universal language’. No matter your background, culture, or what language you speak, we can all be connected by music – and we can all read the same musical notes. For the Hebrew culture, music has played an essential part in celebrating and connecting with God, and this has spilled over into our Christian churches today.

In fact, the first mention of music in scripture is from Genesis 4:21: “His brother was named Jubal; he was the father of all who played the lyre and the flute.” These instruments are referred to when sharing Cain’s family lineage – and for those who don’t remember, Cain was Adam and Eve’s son! Music has been a part of our long human history – from almost the beginning – and it has been imbedded in human culture. Music has come a long way over the years. In scripture there is mention of just over a dozen instruments (including the lyre, harp, tambourine, castanets, lute, sistrum, cymbals, trumpets, shofar, bell, TOF, tabor, zither, and triangle). The development and use of these instruments was mainly for worship and celebration however some of these (eg. trumpet) were used in war, for summoning people together, breaking camp and at coronations as a final proclamation. In fact, there are at least 185 songs recorded in the Bible. Music has been a part of our culture from almost the very beginning, and God, the creator of all things (including music!), will even have music in heaven (eg. Revelation 14:2-3). My guess is that the music we hear here on earth is only a glimpse of what God and his heavenly orchestra will come up with!

Like I said above, two of the main uses for music in Biblical times were for celebration and for worship. And really, worship is a kind of celebration: A celebration of our God and His very nature. There are two famous musical references in scripture that come to mind that are the showcase of all Hebrew celebrations.

First, in 1 Chronicles 15, soon after David becomes the official king of Israel, he brings the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem to a sacred place that he has prepared for it. Wherever the Ark went, either blessing or cursing followed it. When it was captured by the Philistines and resided in their territory, they were cursed with disease. This forced the Philistine’s hands to want to return the Ark to it’s rightful place, with God’s people (I mean, if something was cursing me, I would be quick to get rid of it too!). When the Ark resided with God’s people, they were blessed. After the Ark had been MIA for many years, David finally brought it, the gift of God’s presence, back to Jerusalem. And how did they commemorate this day? A joy-filled celebration led by an appointed crowd of musicians.

“Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments – harps, lyres, cymbals . . . Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the music leader of the singers . . .”

1 Chronicles 15:16 & 27

Second, David’s Psalms are typically only read as poems, but originally, a whole bunch of them were written to be sang or put to music. For example, Psalm 4 is written “For the choir director: with stringed instruments” and Psalm 5 is written “For the choir director: with the flutes.” I don’t know about you, but when I read through the Psalms, I never read the small heading regarding musical direction before reading the Psalm. And, I often don’t think of them as songs. The Psalms are a look into the private journal of David – showcasing his conversations with God: his sadness, his frustration, the deep longings and hardships of his heart as well as his love and praise toward God. A lot of the psalms of praise and celebration however, are written as songs because singing and instruments are essential to the celebration process (see Psalm 9 celebrating God’s justice, Psalm 18 praising God for deliverance, Psalm 40 focusing on thanksgiving, and many more!).

“Let them praise His name with dancing . . . make melody to Him with timbrel and lyre.”

Psalm 149:2-4

THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC IN CELEBRATING

Music plays an important role in celebrating and in one of the most important ways of celebrating: with community (I talk in length about this in my first blog post of this Advent series). Music draws people together, creates a sense of connection and experience, and can be both meaningful and fun. The lyrics in these specific songs of celebration also point to something (or someone) special. Sometimes people wrote songs in order to commemorate specific events (eg. Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1) or to remind themselves and future generations of stories and reasons for celebrating (eg. Moses and Miriam’s song after their escape from Pharaoh in Exodus 15). Christian Christmas music contains these same celebration vibes. The lyrics have been written to commemorate the birth of Christ and to celebrate, praise and honor Him as well as to remind future generations WHY we are celebrating what we are at Christmas time. As we sing songs like “Joy to the World”, “Silent Night” or “O Holy Night”, we are engaging in just another part of celebrating.

Often times we get so caught up in singing the familiar tunes of the Christmas season that we often forget to listen to what these songs are actually about. Have you ever stopped to listen to the profound and beautiful lyrics of Christmas songs? I have picked three to focus on today, but as you know there are dozens! As you read on, I encourage you to give each of these songs a listen (I have attached my favorite rendition). While listening to the song, I encourage you to read and meditate on the lyrics provided. Next time you hear these songs played on the radio or in December during your church’s worship time, I hope that you can worship Jesus, see the beautiful reminders and significances behind these tunes and truly celebrate the reason for the Christmas season.

OH HOLY NIGHT

LYRICS: “O Holy Night”

[Verse 1]
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears 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!

[Verse 2]
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

[Verse 3]
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim

In 1843 in a small town in France, resided a local church whose organ was under rennovation. Organs used to be the pinnacle of musical instruments in the church – so you can imagine that not having your organ up and running was a big deal! The priest asked a man named Placide Cappeau to write a Christmas poem to be read to celebrate Christmas – as they had no organ to sing with! Cappeau wrote a poem entitled Midnight, Christians. The poem reflected on the birth of Jesus as humanity’s redemption and is the poet’s reflection on Luke 2. Later on that same year, the poem was composed to music (by a man named Adolphe Adam) and the song “O Holy Night” was born.

Verse 1 is my favorite and, every Christmas, it pierces my heart in a powerful way. The reminder that it gives of the state of the world without Christ and then the transition to the beautiful and wonderful hope that we have in Him paints a picture of why He came: “then He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” Praise God for His wonderful sacrifice, eternal love and for the gift of Jesus – the Spirit filled God man – who looks on us and calls us worthy! “O Holy Night” is one of my most favorite Christian Christmas songs. It is such a beautiful reminder of all that we have to celebrate!

JOY TO THE WORLD

LYRICS: “Joy to the World”

[Verse 1]
Joy to the World, the Lord has come
Let earth receive her king
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing

[Verse 2]
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

[Verse 3]
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found

[Verse 4]
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love

The song “Joy to the World” appears as song 246 in your church’s hymnal books (you know, those old books with dusty covers hidden away in the storage room used now a days primarily to prop up day camp decorations . . .). This Christmas song was considered a hymn long before it was tied to the Christmas season. It was written in 1719 and is a reflection by Isaac Watts on Psalm 98, Psalm 96:11-13 and Genesis 17-18 (which is the scripture about the covenant God made with Abraham).

“Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for He is coming – for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.”

Psalm 96:11-13

In 1848, Lowell Mason composed a tune for this poem and as of the late twentieth century it was declared the most published hymn in North America.

“Joy to the World” is a celebration of the original covenant, the start of God’s salvation plan from our human perspective, where God claimed a people for Himself. This song is a call to all of the people of the world to recognize this plan and for everything (not just everyone – all of creation!) to praise God for His wonderous mercy and undeserved kindness towards us. While writing this, I sat back and read the scripture passages I listed above that gave inspiration for this song. I would encourage you to do that, as it has given me more to reflect on and celebrate while singing this wonderful song of praise.

SILENT NIGHT

LYRICS: “Silent Night”

[Verse 1]
Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

[Verse 2]
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly Hosts sing ‘Alleluia
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

[Verse 3]
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

“Silent Night” was originally composed to be a Christmas song which debuted on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St. Nicholas Parish Church in Austria. The church’s organ had been damaged that year in a flood (yes, again with the organ!) and so the Priest, Joseph Mohr wrote the lyrics to “Silent Night” and asked Franz Gruber, a school teacher in town, to compose a guitar accompaniment of it for their Christmas Eve mass service. “Stille Nacht”, as it is translated in German, was so popular that the song made it to New York by 1839 and has been translated and sung in one hundred and forty languages thus far.

One of the most important parts of “Silent Night” to me is that it tells the story of Luke 2. The song transports the listener to the stillness of that very night when Christ was born and encourages us to pause and recognize the peace and Holiness of that first moment when Jesus entered the world. There was truly nothing like it at that point in history. “Silent Night” is typically THE song to sing to conclude a Christmas eve church service or mass. The congregation is handed candle sticks and the ushers light their own light from the Christ candle in the center of the Advent wreath and then proceed to light each of the candle bearers at the end of the rows. One by one, people share the light and pass the flame along until the entire congregation is holding lit candles – all lit from the same flame of the single Christ candle. What a beautiful and meaningful message of being the light of the world (as Christ as given us that call from Matthew 5) and proceeding to share that (as Jesus asks us to do in Matthew 28) and then bearing the light united together in community. I know this Christmas for most will not look quite like this. Our church, for instance, has decided to do a really great job at an online Christmas Eve service so that everyone can participate safely with the new realities that are facing our city in these strange days of 2020. We may not get to pass the light as a whole group as we normally would, but as we gather in homes across our city this Christmas Eve and light candles of our own, being the light together in our communities is still the wonderful reality to celebrate as we celebrate the birth of Christ. I am thankful for the gift of “Silent Night” and for that reminder each Christmas season.

YOUR TURN! USING CHRISTMAS CAROLS TO CELEBRATE

The Christmas songs that are about Jesus are worship songs. Have you ever thought about how “Hark the Harold Angels Sing” or “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” are not only songs that proclaim the true story of the nativity, but they also give glory to Jesus? As we sing these classic songs, our hearts can be filled with worship towards Him. And just as we raise our hands to worship Jesus as we sing our classic Sunday morning worship songs – so we can lift our hands to honor and celebrate God as we sing lyrics such as: “Hark the Harold Angels sing, glory to the newborn King!” and “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel. Shall come to thee, oh Israel.” You can worship God while listening to Christmas music. I have two favorite playlists to listen to at Christmas time. One of them is called “Christmas Classics”. This one has all the Bing Crosby, all the 70’s and 80’s Christmas classics, the Beach Boys, “Dominick the Donkey” (ever heard this one? Please listen to it! It makes me laugh every single time!), and “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”, etc. I love jamming out to all these fun songs while making dinner, decorating Christmas cookies, or spending an evening at home. But, over the years I have also been working to put together another playlist called: “Christmas Worship”. You can check out my playlist for that here. This is my playlist that goes on in November and December while I read my Advent devotional in the mornings, while I pray or read God’s Word or while I am at work – planning all the things for our kids, young adults and for Christmas Eve. I encourage you to have a playlist like this too – filled with worship songs that remind you of Jesus’ birth and why He came, but also of the Christian Christmas classics that we all know and love that help us celebrate Jesus.

Christmas is one of the best times in a year to share the good news of Jesus. Peoples hearts are a little more softened this time of year and there is an extra dose of kindness and cheer that fill the air. I was getting my Christmas nails done the other day and my nail technician asked me what my favorite Christmas song was. I told her my favorite was “The Christmas Song”, but I also really love “Oh Holy Night” because it’s just so beautiful. I then asked her what her favorite Christmas song was. Her response was: “I just really love them all. I don’t think I can pick a favorite. It’s so nice to listen to Christmas music.” The nail salon was playing Christmas music and, at that moment in the nail studio the group Pentatonix’s new version of “Amazing Grace” came on. And here we were, just sitting and listening to Amazing Grace while I got all the Christmas sparkle and dainty snowflakes added to my nails. Have you ever thought about how people who don’t believe in Jesus are listening to songs about Him all Christmas season long? They get in their cars and turn on the radio and it’s not only “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” that starts to play but also hymnal classics like “Joy to the World” that tell the true story of Jesus’ birth and share the good news about Him. A lot of our culture here in Canada is trying to ban all things Jesus from everything – including Christmas. But, the carols are still around and they are still being sung by millions of people every year as they celebrate the season.

Thank God for music! Thank God for the stories these songs tell and for the Truths they proclaim. Let’s make sure to pay extra attention to the music we listen and sing to as we celebrate Jesus this season because music is such a valuable part of intentionally choosing to celebrate.

CHRISTMAS CANDIED PECANS

I mean, it’s probably not “COVID kosher” to go Caroling this year – but who is to say we can’t go for a winter walk and sing? If you happen to head out on this kind of venture, be sure to stuff your pockets with these refined sugar free, candied pecans. They are a great, traditional treat that smell like the epitome of Christmas! I adapted this from last year’s She Reads Truth Advent book recipe so that I was able to eat it. This has become a holiday fav at our house!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp water
• 4 cups shelled pecan halves
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place parchment paper down on a 9×11′ baking sheet.
2. Whisk egg white and water in a large bowl. Add pecans and toss until coated.
3. In a separate bowl, combine coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix in with the pecans, turning until well coated.
4. Place pecans in a single layer on your baking sheet.
5. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
6. Allow them to cool before eating! You can store them up to one week (if they last that long!) or in the freezer for six months.

PERFECT FOR CAROLING APPLE CIDER

Wet your whistle and warm your hands with this all natural, easy to make, apple cider recipe from my friend Steph!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 apples
• 2 Oranges
• 2 lemon slices
• 4-6 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tbsp cloves
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 5 quart pot full of water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in 5 quart pot. Fill with water.
2. Boil and reduce to simmer for 2 hours or until apples are soft.
3. Mash contents and simmer for another 15 minutes.
4. Strain into a jug (using a mesh strainer).
5. While warm, add honey to sweeten (around 1/3 cup – a little more or less depending on your sweet tooth!).

Written by: Justine Joy