Every December, a quiet miracle happens without much fanfare. Our playlists change along with our calendars. One moment we’re into our normal stuff. The next, it’s O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, Joy To The World, and O Come All Ye Faithful. This time of year, Christmas music takes over - both old and new. Our hearts can follow and that’s no small thing.

The music we get to sing in December is among the very best worship music of the entire year!

-Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee)

-Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)

-The Christmas Song - Chestnuts Roasting (Nat King Cole)

-All I Want for Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey)

-Last Christmas (Wham!)

-Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Sleigh Ride, etc… etc… 

I’m talking about NONE of those, though they’re fun! I’m talking about the “sacred” stuff, Christ-exalting music that can fill us with beauty, hope, and meaning. The songs of God coming to us, filled with wonder and the message of the gospel. When we sing “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see” in Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, we aren’t just being nostalgic. We are declaring the mystery that God entered our world. These hymns are anthems of the faith; they’ve lasted because truth stands the test of time. They have supported believers through wars, plagues, revivals, and hardships. And now, they meet us again in grocery stores, candlelit churches, and late-night drives home.

So, we don’t just remember the story during Christmas. We get to sing it.

 

Songs That Become Open Doors

I read about a chuch member who had a spontaneous opportunity to invite a coworker to a Christmas Eve service. This coworker/friend loved his playlists and also live music (aka going to concerts/shows,) but church wasn’t really his thing. Still, he went and something about it surprised him. The lights were low, the room was filled with people singing songs they seemed to love, and the lyrics told a story he didn’t expect: honest, hopeful, and surprisingly personal. Afterward, he said, “I didn’t realize your faith had a storyline. It felt like everything we sang was building toward something. And the pastor’s message seemed to fit right into all of it, too.”

That sort of encounter is part of what’s great about Christmas Eve and also about what we get to sing this time of year.

You know, usually on Christmas Eve the message is clear and direct:

-God came near.

-Light entered darkness.

-Hope took on flesh.

People who might never visit church on a Sunday in March will often come on Christmas Eve. It’s not that they have answered all their doubts. Instead, something inside them still longs for wonder and Christmas offers that freely. That, or sometimes it’s a loving family member or friend that is the key.

An invitation doesn’t have to be awkward; it doesn’t need a theological defense. A simple “I’m going to this, would you come with me?” has carried more people into the presence of the story of Jesus than a thousand arguments ever could.

The Good Busy That Can Quiet the Best Joy

December gets busy fast. There are parties, concerts, kids’ programs, shopping, family meals, and travel. It’s a good kind of busy, and most of it is truly enjoyable. But good busyness still has a shadow side. It can push out our simple joy. The first Christmas was not loud. It was not flashy. It wasn’t optimized, marketed, or rushed. It was quiet. A promise. A long journey. A birth. A song in the night. A manger.

When we slow down and step back into the story, not just as listeners but as worshipers, the season becomes less about handling stress and more about receiving wonder. We stop trying to make Christmas magical and remember that it already is, because God is with us.

The best gift is not under a tree. It’s the Savior who once lay in a manger that was made from one.

Three Gentle Invitations for Your Heart This Christmas

Here are a few simple steps to consider stepping further into what this season offers:

1. Let the songs disciple you again.

Don’t let familiarity dull the miracle. The traditional carols are short sermons with melodies and a lot of the newer songs are too! Read what you’re singing. Linger over a line. Let the theology sink past your ears into your soul.

Try this: Choose one Christmas hymn this week and meditate on a single verse each day.

2. Make one vulnerable invitation.

You don’t have to be persuasive, just present. Inviting someone is an act of courage shaped by love. It takes a risk so someone else can experience grace.

Try this: Write down one name. Pray. Then invite them to join you on Christmas Eve - simply and sincerely.

3. Protect one quiet moment with Jesus.

If everything is loud, nothing is nourishing. The Son of God came into the world in silence and humility. We shouldn’t be surprised if we often hear Him best there too.

Try this: Block off ten uninterrupted minutes a day this week. No phone. No to-do list. Just Scripture and presence.

Christmas gives us some of the richest worship songs, and one of the clearest gospel sharing opportunities we’ll have all year. It also gives us the chance to rest more deeply in Emmanuel: God with us.

So sing loudly, invite boldly, rest daily, and pass it on!