While we tend to get tired at the end of the Christmas seasons because of the same music being played on the airwaves and department store background music, it always seems that by the time the next year rolls around, we are ready to listen the same music pieces again. In secular settings, the music is likely to talk about snow and Santa Claus and reindeer. Christian Christmas songs are another genre entirely.
The favorite Christmas carols are centuries alone in some instances. They speak of the birth of the Christ child and the joy of the angels at His nativity. Other songs talk about the shepherds and even the Magi. The words and the melodies are familiar to anyone who has ever attended a Christmas concert.
Today, there are more and more public gatherings where the Christian Christmas songs are ignored, or are being replaced by secular pieces. We would be wise to remember the reason for the Christmas season. Singing the songs which talk of His birth and the surrounding events which are described in the Bible is a seasonal reminder of the gift God gave us as humans.
The Christian Christmas songs which are in common usage today are set to melodies that come from Europe. They are songs that are sung by congregations in Europe and in North America each year. In a more formal setting are the songs such as the oratorio of Handel called “The Messiah”. Although these powerful words and melodies are beyond the capabilities of most congregations, most of us recognize the performance. The presentation of the concert has become a Christmas tradition in many communities.
The words from the oratorio, in most instances come directly from Old Testament Scriptures which promise the coming Messiah and tell of His birth, death and resurrection. Other Christmas carols are worded in a way that they are Bible-based, but not on a word-for-word way. If you have need for a different way of looking at the traditional songs, try reading them as poetry. Look beyond just the first verse and think about the words that you are reading.