"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" (Carols and the Gospel 5 of 5)

This post is part of a five-part series on discovering the place of traditional carols in the Gospel in an effort to revitalize worship during the Christmas season. Click here for the first post. The winner of the favorite Christmas carol poll is... "O Holy Night" with almost half of the votes!

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled

Joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic hosts proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem

Here we are, three days after Christmas. The consumer traditions are far from over. Malls are packed with people looking for after-Christmas sales. Plenty of presents are being exchanged or returned. Coworkers and friends are showing off their latest gadgets and sweaters. American consumerism barely takes a break.

Unfortunately, our worship of Christ does seem to take a break. This is most clearly evidenced by the unusually high attendance of Christmas Eve church services across America. On average, a church will see twice their normal attendance on a December 24th service. References to Jesus, Christianity, and Christian virtues will all but disappear from the radio, television, and conversation outside the month of December. We use Christ as the reason for the season, but then leave Him there.

If you ask my family who the hardest person to shop for is, they will surely say me. I have stopped giving them Christmas lists and responding to texts asking "What do you want for Christmas?" I told them this year that I don't want presents because people don't give Christmas presents out of love. They give Christmas presents because it's Christmas. If they gave presents out of love, why aren't they giving gifts on the other 364 days of the year?

This is how I feel it is with Jesus on Christmas. We give him our worship and our time around December 25th, but then we neglect Him the rest of the year. I know many families (including my own) that will read the Christmas story from Luke 2 together on Christmas day, but then the family Bible is put on the shelf until the following December 25th. So why is this the case?

It has been said that as long as we keep Jesus as a charming baby in a manger, He makes no demand on our lives. His righteous life will not show us God's standard of perfection. His teachings will not give us a description of Kingdom living. His death will not provide us with the ultimate and humbling example of mercy, grace, love and forgiveness. His resurrection will not place on us the new creation attitude that is necessary for sanctification. His ascension will not place Him as our interceding high priest and King. If we keep Jesus as a baby in a manger, we neglect the Gospel, we insult the Son of God, and we reject His gift of reconciling atonement. This is why it is so easy and comfortable for the world to celebrate Christmas, because Baby Jesus means nothing to it. May it not be so!

In Charles Wesley's Christmas carol, "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," we have an awesome description of why God would need a multitude of angel to announce the incredible news of Christ's birth. We must see infant Jesus as King! We must remember that the "peace" coming to earth was not holding a door for someone else; it is the amazing peace between the Creator and His creation!  "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). God and sinners are reconciled! This is the Gospel. This is the message we must remember during the Christmas season; this is the message we must remember throughout our lives.

It has been very enjoyable writing these posts in an effort to revitalize the worship of the church during this Christmas season. I hope they helped you be able to worship in Spirit and truth over the past few weeks. They surely helped me focus on the complete gift of God in sending Christ to earth. What an amazing picture of the Gospel Christmas gives to us. Because we could not make it to God, because we had no way of reconciling ourselves to God, by His sovereign grace, He came to us to reconcile us to Him. I hope that is the Gospel we focused on throughout this Christmas season, but more so, I pray that that is the Gospel around which we center our lives for the glory of God in Christ. Amen!

"O Holy Night" (Carols and the Gospel 4 of 5)

This post is part of a five-part series on discovering the place of traditional carols in the Gospel in an effort to revitalize worship during the Christmas season. Click here for the first post. And be sure to vote for your favorite Christmas carol to the right.

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 appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new glorious morn!

Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices

O night divine, O night when Christ was born

O night divine, O night, O night divine

Leading the way in our Christmas poll on the right is "O Holy Night." At the time of this post, it holds about 44% of the votes for your favorite Christmas carol. Most likely every church in America will sing this song every December. It has been a favorite of the church for over a hundred years. In fact, it was the first song ever broadcast over the radio in 1906. But how much have we considered the lyrics of this traditional carol? Do they follow Scripture? Do they reinforce our knowledge of the Gospel so that we can use it to corporately worship Christ in spirit and truth? Let's check it out...

I believe there is good reason to be a little skeptical of the lyrics of "O Holy Night," and so did the churches of France. It was deemed "unfit for church services" because of its "lack of musical taste and total absence of the spirit of religion." It's interesting that we in the American church accept this song so readily and sing it without bothering to consider its lyrics. Here's why: It was written by a wine seller turned socialist radical who may have never been a Christian. It was put to music by a Jew who did not even celebrate that "O holy night." It was translated into English by a Unitarian (believed only God the Father was God; Christ was just a great prophet) Transcendentalist (believed man is naturally good) named John Sullivan Dwight. He was also an ardent abolitionist and very liberally translated the song from its original French so that he could put in it a message of abolitionism ("Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease"). The song most likely went from idea to tradition without being touched by a Christian hand along the way. This means a close examination of if and how this carol spurs on Gospel worship is even more necessary.

I love the description of the human condition in the first verse of this song. We "lay in sin and error pining." Pining paints a picture of how we as humans are longing after something. Blaise Pascal termed it the God-shaped hole of the human soul. Without Christ, we pine in error, we long after the temporary pleasures and destruction of the world. Til He appeared, the soul's Creator, the only satisfaction for the God-shaped hole, the only true purpose of our souls. When we look on Christ, "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature" (Hebrews 1:3), our souls finally realize their true purpose for which they were created: to reflect the image of God. At the same time, when we look on Christ, we realize how far we have veered off purpose. That is why this message of Christmas, of a "divine night when Christ was born," should send a thrill of hope through our churches! We should rejoice with the thought of a new and living way opened through Christ's human body.

With that beautiful message starting this song off, it's hard to go wrong. We see in the second verse that because Christ came to earth and took on human form, He is "no stranger to our weakness," and can sympathize with us through any trial or temptation (Hebrews 4:15). And for the third verse, instead of the abolitionist version, let me encourage our "sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus" with the direct translation of the original French: "The Redeemer has overcome every obstacle, the earth is free and Heaven is open. He sees a brother where there was only a slave, love unites those that iron had chained." We have gone from chained in irons, slaves of sin, subjects of God's wrath to heirs of God and coheirs with Christ. We are free!

So this Christmas, when "O Holy Night" is sung from the lips of the people of God, I pray that you are contemplating the message that God had ordained through the lyrics of this song despite its ungodly origins. I hope you remember that Christ has fulfilled the purpose of our souls, He has satisfied our longings, He has made us whole. I hope you remember that He has passed through earth and was tempted in every way humans are, yet was without sin so that we have Him as great high priest. I hope you remember that you are free and Heaven is open! You are no longer a slave but a coheir with Christ! Praise His name forever! Proclaim his power and glory forevermore! Amen.

"Silent Night" (Carols and the Gospel 3 of 5)

This post is part of a five-part series on discovering the place of traditional carols in the Gospel in an effort to revitalize worship during the Christmas season. Click here for the first post. And be sure to vote for your favorite Christmas carol to the right.

"Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace"

Me: "Hey Pastor Mark, what does 'round yon virgin' mean?"
Mark: "Well of course it means she is fat and round from pregnancy and yon is short for young. So Mary was a fat, young virgin."

Of course the above was meant in jest, but it makes an interesting point. That is, most likely a number of my readers believed that it was true. And when you found out it was not, you were left wondering what in the world does "round yon virgin" mean. Herein lies a perfect example of how little we worship Christ in spirit and truth during the Christmas season. The third line of one of the most widely sung Christmas carols rolls off of many tongues on December 24th, but is understood by very few. But this is beside the point of this post. If you must know, "yon" was short for "yonder" and it's a continuation of the line before it. "All is calm and all is bright around virgin mother and child over there."

This past Spring, the world witnessed the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Some estimates say it was watched by more than a billion people. In fact, about 25 million people watched the wedding in person. The government of the United Kingdom declared it a bank holiday so that everybody could take the day off to watch the royal wedding. The whole world seemed to stop to watch the wedding. It was certainly a worldwide event, followed by billions, the marriage of a future king. In fact, when Prince William was born to Princess Diana, thousands of people waited outside the hospital and Buckingham Palace to await the news of his birth. The world knew that a future king was born.

Step back 2,000 years. Another King is born. Thousands did not wait outside His palace. The world's top doctors did not assist with delivery. Instead of television cameras and newspapers announcing his birth, it was only witnessed by donkeys and lowly shepherds. To the world, everything remained the same; it was business as usual. However, little did they know that the Son of God had entered the world in human form, born to a virgin in a stable. It seems odd, it seems contradictory, it seems unroyal. However, this is the way God designed it. He planned to send Christ into the world on a "silent night;" a night set apart, a "holy night." The author of this popular Christmas hymn, Father Joseph Mohr, realized the paradox contained in the story of Christ's birth and penned the lyrics to "Silent Night" in 1818.

Mary was to name her child "Emmanuel," meaning "God with us." Wow! God is coming to dwell here on earth with us? God is sending His Son to take on human form and live amongst us? And yet there was no room in the inn. There was worldwide announcement, only a small announcement by angels to some shepherds nearby, "Alleluia, Christ the Savior is born!" Let us remember that even though this event was only significant to a select few at the time, it was the beginning of something new, it was "the dawn of redeeming grace." We must remember that Christ, even as an infant, was Lord, "but He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7).  "Jesus, Lord at thy birth."

So, when we sing this song this Christmas Eve, which most Christians will, let us dwell on the incarnation of Christ. It was a silent and holy night when He entered this world, so let us also be silent and holy as we humble ourselves to know that our God became human, took on limits, and became obedient to death on a cross! It was necessary for Christ to be human as Hebrews 2:14-15, 17 points out:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Because Christ was Lord at birth, he brought with Him the dawn of redeeming grace. Let us worship Him as our great high priest and king this Christmas.

"Joy to the World" (Carols and the Gospel 2 of 5)

This post is part of a five-part series on discovering the place of traditional carols in the Gospel in an effort to revitalize worship during the Christmas season. Click here for the first post. And be sure to vote for your favorite Christmas carol to the right.

Joy to the world, the Lord is 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.

This hymn is consistently ranked among the most popular Christian Christmas carols, but did you know that it was never meant to be a Christmas hymn?

The author of this hymn and about 700 others is known as the "Father of English Hymnody;" his name is Isaac Watts. The only other English hymnodist to come close to Watts' contribution to hymnals is Charles Wesley (author of "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"). However, between the two, Watts is considered the more influential author. He changed the course of church music forever by writing extra-Biblical poetry for church worship. Until Watts stepped on the hymnody scene in the early 18th century, hymns sung in church were strict translations of Biblical poetry from the Psalms or other books of Scripture. Watts believed if verses were taken from the Psalms, they should "imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship." In fact this was the title of the hymnal which first contained Watts' poem entitled "Joy to the World" in 1719.

Isaac Watts used Psalm 98 as the inspiration for the lyrics of "Joy to the World."

Psalm 98:4-9

If you notice, this Psalm, nor the hymn that flowed from it, mention anything about the nativity or Christmas. Instead, a closer look at the verses of the Psalm and the hymn would more closely describe the second coming of Christ, not His first coming. Indeed, that is how Isaac Watts intended the hymn to be sung, praising in anticipation the coming day when Christ would judge the world as King. Certainly, Jesus was born King and lived His life on earth as King, died as King, rose as King and ascended as King, where He is reigning now as King. But it is clear in Scripture that this King will not reign from Heaven forever, but will return to earth to "judge the world with righteousness." It is that Day that should cause God's people to "make a joyful noise," and "break forth into joyous song!" We know on that day that "the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thess. 4:16), similar to Christ's first coming when He comes for the dead "that they may have life" (John 10:10).

So if we must continue to sing this song solely around Christmas, let us do it with our minds remembering the glory of the King's return. Let us "receive our King" and sing for joy that He is coming to judge and to rule, that awesome day when "the Savior reigns!" We should sing with joy only an individual who has been atoned for by Christ's blood can have. Because if we are to joyfully and eagerly await the Day of Christ's return, we know that on that Day, Christ will judge us not for our sins but for His righteousness. The saints, living and dead, even the earth itself, "heaven and nature," will sing for joy that the Lord has returned and no longer will "sin and sorrow grow," but "His blessings will flow." He will "rule the world with truth and grace." And by atoning for the sins of God's elect, He will prove the glorious "wonders of His love." Surely, this is news that should bring Joy to the World!

Carols and the Gospel (1 of 5)

After the previous post despising the American Christmas, I feel compelled to take action in the form of a five-part series of posts in the coming weeks. If we are to reinvent Christmas as a Christian holiday, it begins with throwing out tradition for tradition sake and emboldening Christ-centered tradition to take center stage. However, there are many Christ-centered traditions that are not as Christ glorifying as they can be, namely Christmas carols.

People with whom I have served in music ministry can describe the particular disdain I have for traditional carols. I would like to explain this in two brief ways. Firstly, songs sung too regularly and heard too often can numb the mind to the lyrics contained in the song. For example, if I asked you to sing the well-known carol, "O Come All Ye Faithful," it would most likely be no problem. But if I asked you what time of the day we sing that Jesus was born, it might be a little tougher for you. Surely singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" would be no problem for you. But if I asked you what "Gloria in excelsis Deo" meant, you might have a little trouble. Yet we sing them year after year, joyous in the tradition but oblivious to the meaning. Without meaning, you lose all Christ worship. Without Christ worship, why attend church? The answer: to worship the tradition. This leads me to my second reason. Christmas carols were not sung in churches and were not written to be sung in church until the mid-19th century. So almost ninety percent of the songs your church will be singing this December were not meant for Christian liturgy. That's a problem when churches continue to force them into their Sunday morning worship services.

So what can we do if we don't want to sit idly by while churches around the country will be singing songs with blatantly incorrect theology, archaic words whose understanding is missed by most of the congregation, and melody lines so familiar that our tongues can be on auto-pilot singing syllables and sounds instead of meaningful words and phrases? Let's begin with understanding the four most popular Christian Christmas carols within the Gospel with a Scriptural background. Maybe this will make you think before you sing this year. Maybe this will turn your next Christmas carol into a Christmas prayer. Hopefully, bringing the meaning out of these songs and sometimes putting meaning into the from Scripture can focus your heart and mind on Christ this Christmas season. Only this will bring glory to Christ and not waste our time gathered as a body to worship. Worshipping the Savior over the tradition starts here.

("Gloria in excelsis Deo = "Glory to God in the highest," from the angels song in Luke 2:14)

Coming soon...

"Joy to the World" (Carols and the Gospel 2 of 5)

"Silent Night" (Carols and the Gospel 3 of 5)

"O Holy Night" (Carols and the Gospel 4 of 5)

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (Carols and the Gospel 5 of 5)