One of the most joyful sounds of the season is the singing of carols. There are nearly 10,000 songs about or for Christmas. Since the average song runs approximately 3.5 minutes, it means you would have to sing Christmas songs 24/7 from December 1 to December 24 to sing them all...Bring a throat lozenge!!
The carols that we sing each year do a magnificent job of underscoring who Jesus is and why He came. However, it makes me sad when I hear secular musicians sing Christmas carols who make no claim to believe in Jesus. They sing of the birth but they have no idea what or who they are singing about.Perhaps you are in a similar place, familiar with the tunes of Christmas because you have heard them every winter season, but you have never stopped to consider all their lyrics. I just want to mention one of these songs and the deep truth that it proclaims.
On Christmas Day, 1863, during the American Civil War, Longfellow wrote the words to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” as a poem. Later on it was set to music. He wrote this after facing personal tragedy, the death of his beloved wife, his own deep, dark depression and his son’s injury in battle. The words
reflect Longfellow’s struggle to reconcile the traditional Christmas message of “peace on earth, good-will to men” with the surrounding reality of war and personal suffering.
Not unlike Longfellow, we also live in a violent world. Throughout the world, armies and organizations, who think they are God, are planning and preparing for military operations to control the world. We see and hear of political injustices, interpersonal strife and violence. But violence is nothing new, and do not
believe that God is not aware of it. Christmas is not just about baby Jesus. It is about the warrior-king Jesus who is coming back again to redeem His people.
From Genesis 4 with Cain killing his brother in cold blood and all the way to Revelation 22 we see throughout the pages of the Bible and read of: murder, violence, deceit, greed, hatred in every form. And so it continues. The same world we live in today, was the backdrop to the birth of Christ. Today, we love to focus on Hallmark movies, parties and gift giving to shape what we think Christmas should be. But it is easy for us to misread the story of Christ’s birth. We must see the warfare imagery that is attached to Christmas. The birth of Jesus was not a holiday, it was the fulfillment of an ancient promise that God would fight for His people. In fact, Mary the Mother of Jesus in (Luke 1:46-55) sings a song known as the Magnificat that magnifies the Lord, Jesus Christ as her Savior. That song praises God for the way He would exalt the humble and humble the exalted.
Jesus did not come to proclaim a holiday season. He came to proclaim peace to those far and near, and to pay for our sin nature so we can spend eternity with Jesus Christ our Savior. The sentiment that Longfellow captured in his poem long ago was the promise of God’s unfailing Word. We can have
confidence that what the Bible says is true-the the bells we hear on Christmas, keeps us focused on the Day when the Prince of Peace, Jesus, will establish peace on earth. Yes, there is tension we all face at Christmas. But, all the way from Genesis to Revelation we read that the baby born in the manger was not given to us as a sentimental token of God’s love. No! The Lord Jesus promises: forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life to all who will come to Him.
When Jesus came the first time as a baby, there was chaos, and the world rejoiced at the death of Jesus just as we see the world rejoicing at evil today. But there will come a time when people will rejoice because of God’s glorious promises being fulfilled. The world is gloriously dark now because we are being prepared for the glorious Son of God who will bring great light.
The carols that we sing each year do a magnificent job of underscoring who Jesus is and why He came. However, it makes me sad when I hear secular musicians sing Christmas carols who make no claim to believe in Jesus. They sing of the birth but they have no idea what or who they are singing about.Perhaps you are in a similar place, familiar with the tunes of Christmas because you have heard them every winter season, but you have never stopped to consider all their lyrics. I just want to mention one of these songs and the deep truth that it proclaims.
On Christmas Day, 1863, during the American Civil War, Longfellow wrote the words to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” as a poem. Later on it was set to music. He wrote this after facing personal tragedy, the death of his beloved wife, his own deep, dark depression and his son’s injury in battle. The words
reflect Longfellow’s struggle to reconcile the traditional Christmas message of “peace on earth, good-will to men” with the surrounding reality of war and personal suffering.
Not unlike Longfellow, we also live in a violent world. Throughout the world, armies and organizations, who think they are God, are planning and preparing for military operations to control the world. We see and hear of political injustices, interpersonal strife and violence. But violence is nothing new, and do not
believe that God is not aware of it. Christmas is not just about baby Jesus. It is about the warrior-king Jesus who is coming back again to redeem His people.
From Genesis 4 with Cain killing his brother in cold blood and all the way to Revelation 22 we see throughout the pages of the Bible and read of: murder, violence, deceit, greed, hatred in every form. And so it continues. The same world we live in today, was the backdrop to the birth of Christ. Today, we love to focus on Hallmark movies, parties and gift giving to shape what we think Christmas should be. But it is easy for us to misread the story of Christ’s birth. We must see the warfare imagery that is attached to Christmas. The birth of Jesus was not a holiday, it was the fulfillment of an ancient promise that God would fight for His people. In fact, Mary the Mother of Jesus in (Luke 1:46-55) sings a song known as the Magnificat that magnifies the Lord, Jesus Christ as her Savior. That song praises God for the way He would exalt the humble and humble the exalted.
Jesus did not come to proclaim a holiday season. He came to proclaim peace to those far and near, and to pay for our sin nature so we can spend eternity with Jesus Christ our Savior. The sentiment that Longfellow captured in his poem long ago was the promise of God’s unfailing Word. We can have
confidence that what the Bible says is true-the the bells we hear on Christmas, keeps us focused on the Day when the Prince of Peace, Jesus, will establish peace on earth. Yes, there is tension we all face at Christmas. But, all the way from Genesis to Revelation we read that the baby born in the manger was not given to us as a sentimental token of God’s love. No! The Lord Jesus promises: forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life to all who will come to Him.
When Jesus came the first time as a baby, there was chaos, and the world rejoiced at the death of Jesus just as we see the world rejoicing at evil today. But there will come a time when people will rejoice because of God’s glorious promises being fulfilled. The world is gloriously dark now because we are being prepared for the glorious Son of God who will bring great light.
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