The Danger of Christmas Carols
When it comes to Christmas Carols, I realize there’s two kinds of people: those who love Christmas carols, and those who cannot wait for December 26th to arrive. I unashamedly confess that I fall into the first category. I love the cold outside (a freezing, Bay Area 50 degrees), I love the trees, the lights, the traditions, and the opportunity to be with family or be family to others. I love spending this season singing about, preaching about, and dwelling on one of the spectacular aspects of the gospel: God came in Christ Jesus. And I’ll admit, I’m not as crazy about Christmas music, per se, as much as I am infatuated about the content of what we sing this time of year.
Over the next four weeks, we highlight the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. We will read from the Scriptures of the impact of Christ’s incarnation and light a candle as we remember the Light of the world (John 8:12). We’ll preach about the significance of Jesus’ birth, and we’ll sing really really old songs.
I think one of the dangers of Christmas carols is that they can be relegated to the same rank as an ornament on a tree or a string of lights on someone’s home. And we are, no doubt, inundated with the same things over and over again: sales, end of year schedules, party after party, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Vince Guaraldi’s music playing, and A Christmas Story playing nonstop somewhere on TV. Christmas carols—at least the ones about Christ himself—can fall into that category and I contest that is a real danger.
Why is it a danger? What is at stake by trivializing tunes like O Come, All Ye Faithful, and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel?
2019 is the 300th anniversary of the publishing of Isaac Watt’s great Christmas hymn, Joy to the World. I know the tune. You know the tune. Even if you profess to not be able to sing, you could probably hum the melody to it. It might be worth asking when was the last time you really considered what this great song actually said. I’d encourage you: read it now and try to read it without thinking of the melody. Read it for the content.
1 Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
let earth receive her King;
let ev'ry heart prepare him room,
and heav'n and nature sing.2 Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns:
let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy.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.4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love.
What do you see? What themes are prominent? A King! A Rule! A Reign! A Triumph! There’s no sense of a cute and cuddly baby, meek and mild in this song. Yes, Jesus was born as a baby. But unlike your birth or my birth, the birth of Christ was an act of war. A war whose climax and crescendo would be realized at the eventual death and resurrection of this sent Son. Joy to the World is a victorious battle song! A battle song that rings as far as the curse is found! Where there were once thorns and thistles, blessings flow. Where sin and sorrow used to rule, the Savior—our King—now rules. And those who call Jesus, “King,” can sing full-throated as co-heirs with Christ: “All you heavens, all nature, all creation: sing with joy!”
All of this a reminder of the awesome power of our Savior’s birth. All of this from a Christmas carol. Do you want to miss out on that great truth? This Christmas season, even if you don’t like Christmas music, can you proclaim this truth asking the Spirit of God to bring this Joy to the World home to your heart? I cannot wait to sing with you about our triumphant King!
Merry Christmas!
- Ben Moore