5 Carols That Keep Our Focus on Christ This Christmas
Share
Christmastime is filled with all sorts of wonderful music. From hymns to spirituals, to more modern-day classics, we can feast on songs all throughout the season. But some songs are more focused on the Nativity story than others.
As a child, I loved the richness of traditional Christmas carols. And though I knew they made my spirits lift, I didn’t know what caused the deep stirring within me. Now I understand that the power of these songs comes from the Good News they tell. I still enjoy the melodies and harmonies as much as ever, and now listen closely to the wonderful words as well.
Christmas carols turn my thoughts right to Jesus. They make the busyness of the season fade and set my focus on not only The Lord’s birth, but all that He came to do for us. Here are a few of my favorites, because of what each one says about this precious time. They can also inspire us through the rest of the year.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Marcos Elihu Castillo Ramirez
1. O Come O Come Emmanuel
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel”
I love singing this during Advent season, because it so beautifully expresses the longing the Jewish people felt as they waited for the Messiah to come. The verses claim God’s promises, even before any sign of them being fulfilled can be seen.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
This carol reminds us how much the world needed Jesus to be born, and how our hearts still long for His presence. And it encourages us to wait with expectation for God’s answers to prayer in our own lives.
Click here to listen to this song.
2. O Little Town of Bethlehem
“Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light,
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
This song evokes an image for me of a village totally unaware of the epic event happening right within its borders. Phrases like “how still we see thee lie” and “how silently the wondrous gift is given” convey a sense of hushed quiet that ushered in the Savior’s birth.
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel…” (Micah 5:2).
Singing this carol reminds us that God always had a plan to redeem His people - sending His Son into a dark and harsh world to save mankind. If we keep aware, we won’t miss how God is still working in and around us for our good.
Click here to listen to this song.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/kevron2001
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
“Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem”
I hear this song as a marvelous invitation. For not only are we being called to remember the glorious news the angels brought about our Lord’s birth, but to join our voices with theirs, too.
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” (Luke 2:13-14).
Hearing this carol stirs our hearts to share the message of the coming of Jesus. It tells us that the Nativity Story is only the beginning of the Good News we have the honor of telling the world.
Click here to listen to this song.
4. Joy to the World
This song is so familiar, yet from beginning to end the words always thrill me. The verses not only herald the Messiah’s birth, but go on to declare why He is such an amazing gift to us.
“He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness
and wonders of His love”
“’The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land’” (Jeremiah 23:5).
Joining in this carol refreshes our hearts. It proudly tells that God anointed His Son to be the Lord of our lives and what He will accomplish. As our faces shine with delight when we sing, others might ask why a song touches us so much.
Click here to listen to this song.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/hk13114
5. We Three Kings
“O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light”
Whenever I hear this song, I can almost see the caravan of wise men traveling to find the young Messiah. Each verse is the voice of one of the three, stating the lavish gift he has brought, and why.
“...they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:9-11).
Listening to this carol teaches us that when we search for Jesus, we will find Him. And it encourages us to bring Him the most important thing we have - our hearts, minds, and whole selves. That is true worship.
Click here to listen to this song.
Other, perhaps lesser-known carols also inspire awe in me during the Christmas season, and help align my heart with God’s.
- Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella
A delicate French tune, it relays the excitement of Jesus’ birth.
- O, Holy Night
Another French song, this exudes the wonder of our Lord’s birth night.
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
There is debate about the authorship of this carol, but that doesn’t change the call to give the Lord glory.
As the Christmas season unfolds every year, I let the carols teach me the remarkable Nativity Story all over again. And as I think about God’s Son being born into the world on that cold night, I can’t help but praise and thank Him for that blessing, and then for all the ones that came after.
“Christmas celebrates the awesome and amazing fact that God is grander, wiser and more mysterious than we could have ever imagined.” -Dan Schaeffer
“Christ was born in the first century, yet He belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries” - George W. Truette
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Denis-Art
