Last week I shared what the lights of Christmas mean to me, and this week I’m sharing about the carols of Christmas.  The dictionary defines a carol as a song of joy or devotion. I’ve always loved singing the Christmas songs. What I like about the Christmas hymns is that they contain some aspect of what Christmas is all about. They keep my focus on the real “reason for the season” – Jesus, my Savior – in my heart. Here are some thoughts on a few Christmas songs.

O Holy Night, and Silent Night speak of the special night Jesus was born, (though holy, I’m not so sure it was so silent with all those people looking for lodging in Bethlehem)! Hah! Then of course there were the angels singing when they announced to the shepherds that the Savior had been born. However, the star over Bethlehem and the singing bring to my mind the awesome presentation that God gave us when His Son was born.

Little Town of Bethlehem is the city where our Lord was born and filled with people so busy with their lives that they missed the out on the real reason for the season – the fulfillment of prophecy of the Savior’s birth. (Micah 5:2) Today, our lives are busy with seeking to find the right gift for our loved ones, attending parties and family gatherings, and if not careful, we will become so busy that we too could miss out on the true meaning of why we are doing all this gift purchasing and get togethers.  We must make a quality decision to keep the real reason for this season in our hearts – to worship Jesus.

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing speaks to me of the angel’s announcement to the shepherds that the Savior was born and lying in a manger. Like the shepherds who left their time of watching the sheep to find the new born Savior; we need to set time aside to seek and worship Jesus. The truth is that no matter how small our beginnings, God has destined us for great things. (Luke 2:7-17)

We Three Kings of Orient Are speaks of three kings because Scripture mentions three gifts that the kings brought to worship Jesus. But keep in mind that there very well could have been more than three kings.  The gifts included gold, frankincense, and myrrh, all valuable gifts. This song reminds me to give God my best gift – my heart and my life – because He has given me His best gift, His Son Jesus. Think of it this way: Jesus is God’s best gift to us and through Jesus’ gift of Salvation, we are Jesus’ best gift – back to God.

O Come, All Ye Faithful is to me the instruction for us to be faithful to God, and joyful for His Salvation. We are to adore Jesus – which means to speak and pray our love for Him, and to worship Him.

I know that a lot of the music we hear in the stores are not usually hymns of praises to God, but they do bring smiles to our faces and put a spring in our steps with their joyful sounds, and because of that, even they, remind me of the love of God and His faithfulness to us.

Enjoy some Christmas music this week and draw near to God with a grateful heart of His Present to us – Jesus.