Music is a precious and powerful gift that God has shared with humanity.
Through the centuries, music has played a role in strengthening soldiers on the battlefield, honoring kings and dignitaries, bringing couples and communities together, comforting the grieving, celebrating milestones, and generally enriching lives in every culture.
However, it is evident in the many mentions of music in Scripture – from Genesis through Revelation – that music fulfills its highest purpose when through it, God is praised and the “old, old story of Jesus and His Love” is retold with melody, rhythm, and verse.
Theologian Martin Luther, himself a hymn writer, said:
Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. … After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely, by proclaiming [the Word of God] through music.
So as churches and Christian families gather, they sing songs with roots as old as written history and as new as the current decade. They sing words and melodies brought to America by her forefathers from Western Europe, as well as songs composed during the great revivals of our nation. Some are arranged for choirs, others for quartets. Some are commonly accompanied by organs, orchestras, or brass ensembles, others by small ensembles with guitars, drums, and modern keyboards.
All that to say, Western musical hymnody is mature, expansive, and rich. Short of God’s written revelation, there may be no more valued asset in Christendom than its hymns and songs.
And no single collection is more beloved than the hymns of the Advent season.
The technicality of tradition
But therein a problem can hide. Such familiarity, mixed with a strong dose of tradition and nostalgia, can lull people into overlooking the profound message that the great Christmas hymns proclaim – that God became man.
We sing “Glory to the newborn King,” but settle for a glib “holiday spirit” and miss the true Christmas message that theologian J.I. Packer describes in his classic Knowing God as “hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that 30 years later He might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message the world has ever heard or will hear.”
A treasury of truth
Taking a closer look at the treasury of Christmas hymns and songs can help reawaken listeners to Christ’s unfathomable incarnation and reorient this season’s celebrations away from the sentimentality that begins to fade when the last present is opened.
To that end, consider afresh two Christmas classics as well as a lesser-known gem and a new offering that deserves to be added to today’s Christmas songbooks.
‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’
God’s messenger angels from Luke 2 are highlighted in Charles Wesley’s 1739 hymn titled “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The tune commonly found in hymnals today is an adaptation of a Felix Mendelssohn melody.
In the first verse, God’s angels bring His message to Earth singing: Glory to the newborn King … God and sinners [are] reconciled. To this news the church responds: Joyful, all ye nations, rise / Join the triumph of the skies … / “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
The second verse can be seen as a meditation on why the church sings at Christmas. Believers sing because the Son of God added to Himself a human nature and sympathizes with human weakness. Yet because He was “without sin” [we can] “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
The final verse celebrates that in His incarnation, Christ brings peace, righteousness, light, life, and healing – all results of “lay[ing] His glory by.”
‘Joy to the World’
Among the most popular Christmas hymns, “Joy to the World” was written in 1719 by Issac Watts. The melody is arranged from a tune in The Messiah by George Frideric Handel.
Surprisingly, Watts did not intend his carol to be a Christmas hymn, but a meditation about Christ’s second coming, based on Psalm 98.
The lyrics recognize a world in dire need of joy, justice, and the kingship of Jesus. Watts longs for a time when the Savior will permanently heal sorrows, overthrow the ravages of the fall, and rule with righteousness, truth, and grace. At that prospect, hearts and voices sing “Joy to the World.”
‘Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor’
Frank Houghton (1894-1972) was the longtime director of China Inland Mission. His breathtaking hymn, “Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor,” is squarely based on 2 Corinthians 8:9, a key text for interpreting the incarnation, according to Packer.
Houghton writes in the first verse: Thou Who wast rich beyond all splendor / All for love’s sake becamest poor. Then, in the second verse: Thou Who art God beyond all praising / All for love’s sake becamest man. The final verse offers: Thou Who art love beyond all telling / Savior and King, we worship Thee.
Hymnary.org reports that "Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor: is published in only 14 hymnals, compared to "Joy to the World," which is published in 1,869 hymnals. However, hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty recorded a version on their 2016 album "Facing a Task Unfinished."
‘O Come, All You Unfaithful’
Co-written in 2020 by Lisa Clow and Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Music, “O Come, All You Unfaithful” is an obvious play on the classic hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” However, any lightheartedness quickly dissolves in the gracious invitation to the “weak and unstable,” “guilty and hiding,” and “bitter and broken” to “come see what your God has done.”
The refrain proclaims: He’s the Lamb Who was given / Slain for our pardon / His promise is peace / For those who believe. The ending verse bids sinners: So come, though you have nothing / Come, He is the offering / Come, see what your God has done / Christ is born, Christ is born.
"O Come, All You Unfaithful" is suitable for congregations, ensembles, or soloists. The accompaniment draws on simple chords and an easy-to-sing melody.
Sing to remember and respond
From the beginning, God knew that His people would need to be reminded of His goodness. So, He ordained one day in seven to rest, reflect, and rejoice. Then early in the biblical record, He enacted feasts and observances with the same purpose. Finally, as one of His last acts before His crucifixion, Jesus instituted a symbolic meal with the instruction for His followers to perpetually “do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).
Although Advent and Christmas are not mandated in Scripture, when rightly celebrated, they become deep reminders of the wonder of His grace.
At Christmas, believers sing to remember that the manger in Bethlehem led to the cross of Calvary. And with that journey in mind, the church responds with the heavenly “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14).
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the December 2024 print edition of The Stand. Click HERE for a free six-month subscription.)
