Christmas seems to belong to everyone, the non-Christian as well as the Christian. People who object to singing hymns and who have little or nothing to do with the Church, seem to have no objection to singing Christmas Carols. Thus the devil has all but succeeded in emptying them of any significant meaning. Therefore, the Church must exercise the greatest care in the proper selection of Christmas music to rescue the central fact of the Christian faith from pagan associations.

One has but to walk into any store during December and he is immersed in a bubble bath of meaningless sound which few hear, much less interpret. One may well question the propriety of using the great fact of the Incarnation as background to Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse. One cannot but lament the growing tendency in our circles, even on the part of Christian businessmen, to sell their wares to music intended to celebrate the greatest of all gifts, Jesus Christ.

The widespread association of music and Christmas is, indeed, not accidental. Scripture itself leads the way in showing how important music is in proclaiming the glory of the two greatest events in history, namely, Creation and Redcmption. Song was used at creation when “…the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God (the angels) shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Then the angels again burst forth in a paean of joy at the announcement of the birth of Jesus singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). We can be sure of this, that heaven is not easily moved. If Christmas “emptied heaven for a while to make earth so glad, ought not our thoughts and praises and all our loves to go pouring up to the eternal gate?” (Spurgeon: Joy Born). Spurgeon in the same sermon said: “…if the birth of Jesus was so gladsome to the angels, what should it be to tis? If it made those sing who had comparatively so small a share in it, how should it make us leap for joy. Oh, if it brought heaven down to earth, should not our songs go up to heaven?” Needless to say, if the heavenly choir sang with such ecstasy, how much more should we as the objects of God’s redemptive love sing music which bears unmistakably the touch of his Spirit.

That the church has always felt this, is abundantly clear to any student of church history. The Church has always been greatly influenced by the times in which it existed. Therefore, one can hardly expect to find music in the church far in advance over music outside the church. Understandably, therefore, during the first three centuries of our era, little advance was made in the science of music. However, it is worth noting that whatever progress was made during the medieval period was largely made in the church -its monasteries and cloisters. So that, when the Reformation dawned under the impetus of Martin Luther and others, public worship revived and music came into its own. The German Chorale was and still is the most important vehicle of congregational praise. It is “…strong, impersonal, and simple. It is eminently suitable for an expression of congregational praise rather than merely subjective individual feeling, although an emotional element is strongly present.”1 In contrast, “twentieth century evangelical Christianity has often forsaken its constancy of an ideal of God-centered worship for worship which is far too man-centered and subjective.”2 Because Christmas is first and foremost an objective fact—God sent his Son therefore we rightly find that the chorales stress this objectivity. This can be clearly seen in such Christmas hymns as: “From Heaven Above To Earth I Come,” “How Bright Appears the Morning Star,” and “O Rejoice, Ye Christians, Loudly.” Less than five decades ago, our Holland churches at Christmastime sang: “The Song of Mary,” “The Song of Simeon,” and “The Song of Zacharias.” This type of Christmas hymn is clearly our heritage and ought to be preserved.

How, then, shall we celebrate Christmas in song? One way this writer has found effective is by using “A Festival of Lessons and Carols,” which is a service of readings from Scripture and appropriate music. This service originated in England, by Archbishop Benson, when Bishop of Truro, for use in that Cathedral in 1880. Then in 1918, it was revived and modified at King’s College, Cambridge, where it is sung annually on Christmas Eve. The nine lessons -Scripture portions dealing with the prophecies of the Messiah and the Christmas stories—are traditionally read by members of the college in ascending order of rank. The carols, ancient and modem, are chosen to fit the lessons they follow. In recent years, this festival service has become increasingly popular in American Churches, and is extensively performed throughout the country during the Christmas season.

One reason for the effectiveness of such a service is the fact that it uses the language of Scripture, which obviously can not be improved. It deals with the only proper subject of Christmas, namely the birth of Jesus Christ. Brighter and brighter the light of the evangel becomes as we travel the predictive road from Genesis through Malachi until at last we come to the event itself described in the glowing words of the apostle John, “…the Word was made flesh.” No saga, no mere gradation, nothing fanciful distorts the beauty of Christmas. Moreover, Scripture sets the tone for the type of music. Its sublime language demands not tawdry and fanciful music, but the music of the highest caliber.

Another reason for the effectiveness of this service is the fact that there can be many participants. Besides choirs, the service requires nine persons of the church representing the various organizations who read the lessons. If greater participation is desired, the congregation can join the choirs in singing some of the better known carols. If desired, appropriate anthems can be substituted for traditional carols.

The following service was used last year at Second Christian Reformed Church in Grand Haven, Michigan, and can be used as a guide. It should be remembered that the form of the service is permanent, but the anthems and carols can easily be varied from year to year.

HYMN: “Angels From the Realms of Glory” Tune: Regent Square Congregation and Choirs

FIRST LESSON: Genesis 3:8–15 God announces in the Garden of Eden that the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.

CAROL: “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” Tune: Stuttgart Choir

SECOND LESSON: Genesis 22:15–18 God promises that in the seed of Abraham shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

CAROL: “O Jesus, Grant Me Hope and Comfort” Franck-Stein Choir

THIRD LESSON: Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7 Christ’s birth and kingdom are foretold by Isaiah the prophet.

CAROL: “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming Praetorius Choir

FOURTH LESSON: Micah 5:2–4 Micah foretells the birthplace of Christ.

CAROL: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” Tune: St. Louis Congregation and Choirs

ANTHEM: “O Savior Sweet” ………….. J.S. Bach Junior Choir

FIFTH LESSON: Luke 1:26–33, 38 The Angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary

CAROL: “My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord” Tune: Pentecost Choir

SlXTH LESSON: Matthew 1:18–25 Matthew tells of Christ’s Holy Birth

CAROL: “Mary’s Lullaby” ……………… Richard Warner Junior Choir

ORGAN SOLO: “Noel” ………….. Louis Claude Daquln

SEVENTH LESSON: Luke 2:8–16 The Shepherds go to the manger.

ANTHEM: “Sing Gloria” …………….. Katherine K. Davis Combined Choirs

EIGHTH LESSON: Matthew 2:1, 2 The Wise Men are led by the star to Jesus.

CAROL: “Guiding Star Carol” ……. O. C. Christiansen Youth Choir

NINTH LESSON, John 1:1–14 John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.

CAROL: “O Come All Ye Faithful” Tune; Adeste Fideles Congregation and Choirs

PRAYER

You will note from the above. that the music chosen was uniformly of the highest caliber, and it should be! One simply cannot exaggerate the overpowering significance of the central fact of our faith: the coming of God’s own Son. Because of this, the music celebrating this event must not use the trite, the cheap, or the second rate, but must lend wings, transporting the congregation to heaven itself:

How big is your Christmas? An honest answer to this question will determine how appropriate your celebration will be. If basically your idea of Christmas does not rise above the sentimental, the mundane, or the childish, your concept of God’s love in Christ is an unworthy one. Rather, our response should be one of grateful adoration, expressed properly in our highest worship and our most sublime music.

1. David P. Appleby, History of Church Music (Moody Bible Institute 19(5) pp. 79–80.

2. Ibid., Dedication page.

“The Church must exercise the greatest care in the proper selection of Christmas music to rescue the central fact of the Christian faith from pagan associations.” In this article, the author, Miss Joanne Jansen, organist and choir director at the Second Christian Reformed Church of Grand Haven, Michigan, presents some ways in which this can be done.