Last year I got really worn out on Christmas music. Three years ago, we incorporated Christmas music into our worship gatherings for three weeks. Two years ago, we incorporated Christmas music for four weeks. Last year, we incorporated Christmas music for FIVE weeks. It was way too much for my taste -- three weeks is a bit more like it. But I've been trying to figure out why it's too much for me.

Our church is a good blend of music, though we do lean more towards modern styles, since I tend to modernize most of the hymns we do - new chord arrangements, new choruses when they work, transitions, etc. In one aspect, Christmas music is almost entirely traditional - and it's traditional music that is very difficult to update. Still, some of the arrangements we've worked on are really cool. Overall I've decided that it's not the specific songs so much, really. There's something else that nags me more.

We're living in a society that's stripping the meaning not just out of Christmas, but out of every holiday throughout the year, religious or secular. Valentine's Day? Lust, roses, and candy. St. Patrick's Day? Getting drunk. Easter? Eggs, bunnies, and candy. Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day? Cookouts and big movie releases. Halloween? More candy. Thanksgiving? Turkey. Christmas? Presents, more turkey, and more candy.

The distortion of Christmas is nearly complete. It has become more of a winter holiday than a Christian holiday. We focus more on presents, snowmen, evergreen trees, lights, etc., than we do anything else. Even our modern view of Santa is winterized and commercialized. It was a marketing image, popularly defined by Coca-Cola, in order to sell more soft drinks.

I think that what bugs me about using Christmas songs in worship is that by focusing on the songs so heavily, we bring everything else about Christmas into our worship gatherings. By focusing so much on Christmas inside of our churches, I think we tend to overshadow Christ with all the attention we give to Christmas.

For my part, even during Christmas, I try to use a balance of songs. Some specific Christmas carols (and even newer, non-secular Christmas songs), but also blending in songs that we do throughout the year about Christ, His sacrifice, the cross, and our commitment to him.

But this year, despite the fact that last year we did five weeks of gatherings that included Christmas songs, I had a few people from church tell me that they think we should do only Christmas songs during all five weeks of Advent.

Sometimes I wonder if people aren't more in infatuated with Christmas than they are in love with Christ.

Look, I love Christmas and everything. I'm certainly not a grinch. But I think it's theologically dangerous to put such a huge emphasis, for nearly a tenth of our year, on the birth of Christ. It's an event so important that only two of the gospels discuss it. Between the two, it only takes up three and a half chapters. The two accounts contradict each other a lot, it's hard to put a lot of faith in their accuracy -- pretty much the only points they have in common is that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus was born in Bethlehem!

Compare that with the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, their importance in the gospels as wells the rest of the New Testament, and with how we celebrate those events today. Imagine if for five weeks we did songs like "Up From the Grave He Arose" and "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." We'd have a mutiny!

People have said to me, "we do Easter songs all year!" That's somewhat true. And we should. We should continue to sing songs about Christ's sacrifice and his redemptive work all throughout Christmas. While I certainly think the church should be flexible about when we hold our gatherings during Christmas (a whole different topic, especially this year when Christmas falls on Sunday), we should be inflexible when it comes to proclaiming who Christ is. The event that defines Jesus Christ is not the birth -- any universalist would think it was cool that a virgin gave birth to a child of the divine. The event that defines Jesus Christ is when He took the weight of our sins, died on a cross, and rose up again, victorious not over evil, but over death itself. For us to push aside that fact, and concentrate solely on Christ as a baby for five weeks, is losing sight of who He really is.

That's why I find it terribly important to incorporate songs about who Christ really is at Christmas time. If we don't, we do our worship a disservice. That's why I worked to make sure we inserted a couple of specific songs into our Christmas Eve service. Instead of ending with "Silent Night" during the candlelight time, I've added "Joyous Light," a modern rendition of the oldest hymn we have on record, "Phos Hilarion," or "Hail Gladdening Light." I'll leave you with those lyrics below as my final thought.

Hail Gladd'ning Light, Son so bright
Jesus Christ, end of night
Alleluia!

Hail Gladd'ning Light, Eternal Bright
In evening time, 'round us shine
Alleluia! Alleluia!

We hymn the Father, we hymn the Son
We hymn the Spirit, wholly Divine
No one more worthy of songs to be sung
To the Giver of Life, all glory is Thine

Hail Gladd'ning Light, such joyous Light!
O Brilliant Star, forever shine
Alleluia! Alleluia!

We hymn the Father, we hymn the Son
We hymn the Spirit, wholly Divine
No one more worthy of songs to be sung
To the Giver of Life, all glory is Thine

All glory to You, Lord

Labels: church, life