Christmas Carols, some people can’t get enough of them, others think they are not very worshipful. But I have found that like many a hymn or praise song, the old carols may or may not honor God. Often Christmas songs paint a very western picture of what we think the birth of our Lord was like. We sing about the sweet smell of hay, the cattle lowing, and the beautiful starry night and three kings. But where do we get all that?
The first Christmas was most likely very different then our Americanized picture of that night. What we know is that Jesus was laid in a manger. A manger is a feed trough! Most likely cut from stone used for both feeding and watering animals. Where was the manger? Was it in a barn? Was it a cave? We can not be sure but I think we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not the most sanitary of places to lay your new born baby.
Jesus from day one was rejected, there was not place for him to lay his head, except a borrowed feed trough. There was no sanitary hospital for him to be born in, no nice home with comforts for him, just a feed trough to be laid in. Of course that shows us his humility. Born in a humble place, born without privilege, born to humble people, in a humble town. Bethlehem although it sounds romantic, is to this day known as a backwards town. Jesus was born in humility, so all could relate to him, and he could never lord over anyone his high birth.
Back to Christmas Carols it true, many carols romanticize Christmas. Instead of worshiping the Lord they worship the day. But then there are some excellent Carols, and some of the lesser known verses are powerful and deep. One of my favorites is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
“Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Yes, that’s why the angels sang, for God was reconciling sinful mankind to himself. Awesome,deep.
“Hail the incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.”
Jesus is God in the flesh, he humbled himself and with joy took the form of a man, and with the joy set before him endured the cross. Emmanuel means,”God with us.”
“Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.
Eternal life is found in him, new life comes from his obedience to the cross.
Yeah some Christmas Carols get it all wrong. Some are just plan sappy and some are not even close to the realities of our Lord’s birth. But others are some of the deepest and most doctrinally correct hymns of the church. The really exciting part is we can sing them with unbelievers. This year I think I’ll ask a few questions about some of those great verses.
Blessings Pastor Rich <><