The Songs of Christmas - Living Waters

The Songs of Christmas

What is your favorite Christmas Carol? O Little Town of Bethlehem? The First Nowell? Joy to the World? When you think about it, the birth of Jesus has inspired more music than any other event in human history, with the exception of Easter! From Bach, to Handel, to Charles Wesley, to Dolly Parton, there’s something about the birth of Jesus that just cries out for music! A recent Google search yielded over 55 million web sites dedicated to Christmas music–a list that includes everything from “Silent Night” to “Grandma got run over by a reindeer!” Some Christmas songs are frivolous and silly and give us a good laugh, while others have the power to transform our hearts; give hope to the discouraged, comfort to the sorrowful; and strength to the weary. As a result, music is an important part of our Advent and Christmas celebrations.

The tradition of singing at Christmas is as old as Christmas itself. The gospel of Luke describes several of the characters in the Christmas story responding instantly to their part in God’s plan with expressions of praise and worship. These songs make up a sort of first century Christmas concert series that has survived for over 2000 years. However, unlike most Christmas carols, these songs are not as familiar to us–you won’t hear them played in shopping malls, on the radio, or in elevators. In fact, you probably won’t hear them sung in most churches this time of year. Writing about these ancient Christmas carols, preacher Philip Ryker says; “They are the last of the Hebrew psalms and the first of the Christian hymns…the gospel is and must be musical…what God has been done must be celebrated in song…”

As we begin the season of Advent–as we prepare to celebrate what God has done in Jesus– we begin a new series called “The Songs of Christmas,” that will focus on these first songs of Christmas, recorded in the gospel of Luke. It is my hope that as we journey through Advent to Bethlehem, we will feel the same excitement and wonder that those first Christmas singers felt as they watched the exciting events unfold that led to the birth of Jesus.

SERMONS

Sermon: Benedictus: The Song of Zechariah

Preacher: The Rev. Christopher Doering

Date Preached: Sunday, December 3, 2017

Reading: Luke 1:67-79

Handout: Part1.HO