‘Stop playing traditional Christmas carols in public. Santa songs are fine but not carols. They may cause offence. We want Happy Holidays but we don’t want Christ to feature in them at all.’ Ever heard people express sentiments like these? I have but I want to emphasize that I love some of the great old carols and delight to hear them in public. On Saturday in Rushmere shopping centre it was really lovely to hear an orchestra play some of the traditional Christmas carols and songs. One that particularly took my notice was ‘The First Nowell.’ Another night I had heard it being sung and those wonderful words “Born is the King of Israel” rang through the shopping centre.

I grew up with Christmas carol singing being part of Christmas. We learnt them in school and we sang them in church. I even went carol singing a few times too! Older people always did seem to appreciate the carols….whatever about our ability to sing lol. I remember an old family friend to whom we brought a Christmas present every year asking us to sing a verse of a carol as she received her gift. As I have matured a bit since then, 🤣 I have come to value Christmas carols even more and I do appreciate their beauty in a carol service.

May I suggest that you take time to listen to the words of carols and see just how filled with Biblical teaching about Christ that they really are. Here are just a few things sung about Christ:

Glory to the newborn King

Jesus our Immanuel

Begotten, not created

He is God and Lord of all

True God of True God

Word of the Father in flesh appearing

Offspring of a virgin’s womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the Incarnate  Deity

Born that man no more may die

Born to give us second birth 

He rules the world with grace and truth 

He made heaven and earth of nought and with His blood mankind hath bought

God and sinners reconciled

Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today 

Redeeming love

Redeeming grace 

Set at God’s right hand on high

Need I go on? Is it any wonder that they are being objected to? This month on Facebook I am taking some carols and giving Bible references to show where carols are so Biblical. Please follow along these short little studies each day. They are not in depth studies and certainly not exhaustive on the subject. It has been a challenge and a blessing to myself to think of Bible verses for them. If you are blessed by them, please like and feel free to share them.

Search the Word Facebook Christmas Carols album

I also encourage you to share your favourite Christmas carols on Facebook in the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas. Why not fill Facebook with these beautiful songs about our Saviour?


This was originally posted 12th Dec 2017 on Google+