I love Christmas songs. Nothing gets me in the spirit of Christmas than hearing Deck of Halls, Jungle Bells or the Charlie Brown version of Christmas Time Is Here. But from my point of view, the real joy of Christmas is captured in carols concerning the birth of Christ. In the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, he records what could be thought of as the first Christmas carols: Mary’s song, Zacharias’s song, the Angelic song, and Simeon’s song.
Mary’s song has been referred to as the Magnificat. That is the Latin translation of Mary’s first few words, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” In her song Mary gives us five reasons to magnify the Lord. The Latin translation of Zacharias’s song is Benedictus which means “Blessed is the Lord.” The word blessed can mean adored. Zacharias shares why we need to adore the Lord. On the night of our Lord’s birth the angels shared a carol of praise called the Gloria in the Latin. Glory could be paraphrase as meaning, “it doesn’t get any better than this.” The angels understood that when God sent his Son to the earth, he gave us His best, His one and only Son, His Glory. Finally Luke shares the song of a man who states that he could die in peace because he had viewed what would bring consolation to him personally and to the Jews as well as to the non Jews collectively. Simeon’s song has no Latin expression, but is no less pertinent in bringing out the joy of what Christmas truly meanings.
In the next four Sundays, I hope you can join us in worship as we will learn and enjoy the elation of these first Christmas carols. The sermon series is as follows:
Sunday, December 4, Mary’s Song: The Magnificat
Sunday, December 11, Zacharias’s Song: The Benedictus
Sunday, December 18, Angelic Song: The Gloria
Sunday, December 25, Simeon’s Song: The Consolation
What is your favorite Christian Christmas carol? Email me back at bro.mike@dscoc.org with your top three.
It Came upon the Midnight Clear
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Come, All Ye Faithful
What Child is This?
The First Noel
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Angels We Have heard on High (Gloria)
Silent Night! Holy Night!
To Us a Child of Hope Is Born
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Away in the Manger
Joy to the World
O Holy Night
Mary, Did You Know?
Other:____________________
