At
Christmas time, the earth's population sings traditional carols without paying
any attention to the words. They give Santa the glory for what they call
"Christmas magic" or "X-mas miracles", and he gets the
praise for giving them the gifts that loving friends and family actually
purchased for them.
However,
the very word Christmas gives us the true meaning of Christmas. A mass to
celebrate the birth of Christ. The actual day is debatable, but since we are
going to honor Jesus' birth anyway, one day is as good as another.
Christmas
carols are full of Biblical truth, starting with "The First Noel" and
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing", which relate the fact that shepherds
heard the first Gospel message from Angelic beings (Luke 2:13-14). "Away
in a Manger" also regales us with the fact of His birth.
The
words of "Little Town of Bethlehem", denote His birth too (Micah 5:2),
and if we pay attention to these songs, we too can celebrate this beginning of
our Savior's life on this earth. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" reminds
us to share our faith and the truth of Jesus' birth.
Next,
we have "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", which personifies the authentic
Believer's longing for Our Savior and King to take His rightful place as Supreme
Ruler of Heaven and earth. This song declares prophecies about Jesus - as the
Rod of Jesse, the Descendant of David, His virgin birth and His name Emmanuel,
which means "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).
My
personal favorite is "Joy to the World." It is not really a Christmas
song, because the verses proclaim the truth of Christ's second coming to sit on
His throne with the government on His shoulders, and to restore order to our
mixed-up, degenerate world (Genesis 3:17-18; Psalm 96:11-12; Psalm 98).
"God
Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" proclaims the power of Christ over demonic
activity (Mark 2; John 3:16). "Oh Holy Night" is another definite
favorite carol that reminds us that although not everyone will choose Christ as
their Savior, every ear will hear.
So,
the next time you hear a Christmas spiritual, pay attention to the words, and
sing them from your heart in praise to our King. He left the glory of heaven
with the sole purpose of paying the penalty of our sinful behavior as our pure
and perfect Lamb of God.
Prayer:
Father
God, Christmas is the season of the year when the focus of many is on songs
about Your Son's birth. The sad part about Christmas is that in spite of their
love for these songs, very few people will hear the actual words and believe in
the Christ of Christmas (John 3:16-18). They are too wrapped up in the
trappings of the season, and they neglect the actual meaning of it.
Impress
on everyone the truth of the songs that we sing. Jesus will eventually reign
and rule the world with Your authority, righteousness, truth, and grace that
will delight the inhabitants of the earth. Remind us that we can enjoy this
euphoria every day of the year by turning from our sinful lifestyle and
dedicating our life to Your service.
Thought
for the Day:
Christmas
carols preach the Gospel of Christ every year, but most people focus more on
the delusion of Santa's fictional powers, the glitz and glitter, and getting
their wishes granted than on the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that changes
our life for eternity.
-
Matthew 24:14
