Anthem for Christmas

Read: John 1:1-4

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem marked the beginning of many things, most notably the beginning of HIs earthly life.  However, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was not the beginning of Jesus’ existence.  His “beginning” goes way before that first Christmas.  John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  This verse is absolutely full of meaning:

• “In the beginning was the Word.”  That is, in the time that we know of as the beginning (referring of course to the events of Genesis chapter 1, and the creation of the world), the Word ALREADY “WAS!”  The One known as “the Word” was already in existence when everything was created.
• “The Word.”  John 1 lets us know that the “Word” is Jesus.  Words express things.  Jesus as the “Word” expresses to us who God really is.
• “The Word was God.”  Likewise, this verse lets us know that Jesus is God.  Therefore, Jesus not only did not have His “beginning” in Bethlehem, He has no “beginning” at all!  God exists eternally.  He was not created, has always been, and always will be.

This verse places Jesus in an appropriately eternal context.  At Christmas we celebrate the Eternal God humbling Himself in a human birth . . . God became man so that man can be with God.  Michael W. Smith’s song “The Anthem of Christmas” tells this cosmic story – from creation to the cradle and beyond.  In this song may we all find the words to proclaim His love this Christmas.

Anthem for Christmas

In the space of the beginning

Was the living Word of Light

When this Word was clearly spoken

All that came to be was right

All creation had a language

Words to say what must be said

All day long the heavens whispered

Signing words in scarlet red

Some failed to understand it

So God spoke His final Word

On a silent night in Judah’s

Hills a baby’s cry was heard

“Glory!” sang the angel chorus

“Glory!” echoed back the night

Love has come to walk among us

Christ the Lord is born this night

All creation sing His praises

Earth and heaven praise His name

All who live come join the chorus

Find the words His love proclaim

Find the words His love proclaim

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.

 

All Praise to Thee Eternal Lord

Read: John 1:14-18

By the beginning of the 16th century, the Church was in desperate need of reform.  The Scriptures, songs, and liturgies that filled the worship services were in languages foreign to most people.  In the “high church,” God was kept distant from the people who were “lowly” and less educated. 

Though this was the pattern of the church in the middle ages, it was not the plan of God.  God does not require that we speak Latin to know Him or read His Word, and Martin Luther recognized this.  Luther set out on a mission to strip away the mystery of the church regalia and to return the beauty of the Gospel to the people.  He translated the liturgy, the Scripture, and the songs of the church from Latin into German — the language of his fellow countrymen.

One song that Luther translated was “All Praise to Thee Eternal Lord,” a Christmas song written by Gregory the Great in the sixth century.  One of the lines of this song states, “A little Child, Thou art our guest, That weary ones in Thee may rest; Forlorn and lowly is Thy birth, That we may rise to heaven from earth.”

These lyrics remind us that God has not stayed distant, speaking foreign languages.  He came to us in the lowest common denominator – a human baby – so that ALL of us may know who He is and have a chance to find rest and rise to heaven one day.

Luther translated “All Praise to Thee Eternal Lord” into German – what a gift!  Jesus “translated” an understanding of who God is to the world – what an unbelievable gift!  Today, sing a really, really old song and be thankful for the translation of God’s glory that Jesus has done for us:  because He came, we can know God.

All Praise to Thee Eternal Lord

All praise to Thee, eternal Lord,

Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;

Choosing a manger for Thy throne,

While worlds on worlds are Thine alone.

Once did the skies before Thee bow;

A virgin’s arms contain Thee now,

While angels, who in Thee rejoice,

Now listen for Thine infant voice.

A little child, Thou art our guest,

That weary ones in Thee may rest;

Forlorn and lowly is Thy birth;

That we may rise to Heaven from earth.

Thou comest in the darksome night

To make us children of the light;

To make us, in the realms divine,

Like Thine own angels round Thee shine.

All this for us Thy love hath done;

By this to Thee our love is won;

For this we tune our cheerful lays,

And sing our thanks in ceaseless praise.

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.

 

Light of the World

Read: Exodus 13:21-22; John 8:12

3,500 years ago, God called His people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the land that He had promised them.  This is the story of the Exodus, recorded in the second book of the Bible.  As the Israelites left Egypt, God led them at night, represented by a visible fire.  Like a child comforted by a night light, so the children of Israel were comforted in their journey by the fire in the sky, reminding them that God was with them.

Fast forward 1,500 years to the time of Jesus.  While the rest of the Israelites were celebrating the Festival of the Tabernacle (remembering when God led them like a fire at night), Jesus makes an amazing assertion.  He says in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Jesus was making a few VERY important points:

• Jesus is the Light.  During the Exodus, the people saw a fire cloud in the sky, but this presence did not talk or provide a 3-D example of what God is like.  Jesus is our reminder that God is with us, a living Light!
• Jesus is the Light of the World! Additionally, the fire was only for the people of Israel.  However, by calling Himself the light of the world, Jesus was pointing out that ALL people, regardless of nationality can be encouraged by His presence.
• Jesus invites us to follow Him. Jesus’ light is not just meant to comfort, it is meant to direct. 
• If we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness. Jesus will never lead us to sin.  He only leads us towards righteousness, for He desires our growth, not our destruction.
• If we follow Him, we will have life.  Darkness leads to death.  Yet, Jesus is the Light of life . . . He came to give us life, not take it from us!

At Christmas time, we often place lights on our landscaping and homes.  This is appropriate because, as Lauren Daigle’s song reminds us, Jesus is the Light of the world!  As we sing this song, or look at Christmas lights, let us remember God’s presence with us, and His desire that we walk in obedience following Jesus’ commands and example.  If we do, we will have life as God intended!

Light of the World

The world waits for a miracle

The heart longs for a little bit of hope

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

A child prays for peace on Earth

And she’s calling out from a sea of hurt

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

And can you hear the angels singing

Glory to the light of the world

Glory, the light of the world is here

The drought breaks with the tears of a mother

A baby’s cry is the sound of love

Come down, come down, Emmanuel

He is the song for the suffering

He is Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come

He has come, Emmanuel

Glory to the light of the world

For all who wait

For all who hunger

For all who’ve prayed

For all who wonder

Behold your King

Behold Messiah

Emmanuel, Emmanuel

Glory to the light of the world

Glory to the light of the world

Glory to the light of the world

Behold your King

Behold Messiah

Emmanuel, Emmanuel

The world waits for the miracle

The heart longs for a little bit of hope

Oh come, oh come Emmanuel

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.

 

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Read: Romans 6:5-11; Isaiah 9:6-7

The very first churches I knew were Methodist.  Most every Sunday for the first eighteen years of my life, I could be found somewhere around East Cross United Methodist Church in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  One of the many blessings I received from that heritage was a knowledge of John and Charles Wesley.  Though the Wesleys never set out to start “Methodism,” God used them to reform the Church of England and call it to both passion and application.  If Luther’s reform in Germany was about orthodoxy then the Wesleys’ reform in England 200 years later was about orthopraxy . . . as much about what we do as what we believe.

While John Wesley preached, Charles Wesley was best known for his hymns.  One of the eighteen Christmas carols Wesley wrote was “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.”  This song not only laid out sound theology and Scriptural references, but called followers of Jesus to act in certain ways.

The first verse points out that Jesus has released us from our “fears and sins” (Romans 6:5-11).  This is a theological truth . . . but the application of this truth is that we would find “our rest in Thee.”

In the second verse, Jesus is described as “a child, and yet a King” (Isaiah 9:6-7).  Charles takes the next line, though, and drives it home, stating that Jesus was “Born to reign in us forever . . . Rule in all our hearts alone.”  The application is not just to say that Jesus is the “King of Kings,” but to have Him be our King – the ultimate authority in our lives. 

This Christmas, as we sing Wesley’s song, may we have a reformation of our practices, and find our rest in Jesus, the ultimate authority in our lives!

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, thou long expected Jesus
born to set thy people free
from our fears and sins release us
let us find our rest in thee
Israel’s strength and consolation
hope of all the earth thou art
dear desire of every nation
joy of every longing heart

Born thy people to deliver
born a child and yet a King
born to reign in us forever
now thy gracious kingdom bring
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone
by thine all sufficient merit
raise us to thy glorious throne

You draw the hearts of shepherds
You draw the hearts of kings
Even as a baby
You were changing everything
You called me to Your Kingdom
Before Your lips could speak
And even as a baby
You were reaching out for me

And now we are awaiting
The day of Your return
When every eye will see You
As heaven comes to earth
Until the sky is opened
Until the trumpet sounds
The bride is getting ready
The church is singing out

Come, thou long expected Jesus
born to set thy people free
from our fears and sins release us
let us find our rest in thee
Come Thou long expected King

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.

 

Joy to the World!

Read: Psalm 98

When is it too early to listen to Christmas music?  Halloween?  Thanksgiving?  Black Friday?  December 1?

Whenever you change your playlist, at some point, most will begin listening to Christmas music by the time December rolls around.  However, one Christmas carol was intended to be sung in July . . . and April . . . and February!  It is the most popular Christmas song in North America, “Joy to the World!”

In 1719, prolific hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote this song, and published it in his book, “The Psalms of David: Imitated in the Language of the New Testament.”  Yet, roughly 3,000 years before Watts arranged it with a Christian perspective, the Psalmist wrote the message in Psalm 98.  Interestingly, Psalm 98 is not about Jesus’ birth.  It is a psalm about when the LORD will come “to judge the earth . . . with righteousness, and the peoples with equity” (Psalm 98:9).

The earth celebrates with joy, in Psalm 98 and in Watts’ hymn, when the Messiah comes in righteous judgment.  This reference is clearly NOT to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, but to Jesus’ return at the end of the world as pictured in Revelation 19:11-21.  The earth rejoices on that day because sin and sorrow will finally and fully be dealt with.  Jesus will rule the world with truth and grace, and all will see the “wonders of His love” (see Revelation 20).  After the establishment of this Kingdom, Jesus will also usher in a new heaven and a new earth that will make His blessings flow upon the earth in opposition to the effects of the curse (compare Genesis 3:14-24 with Revelation 21-22.) 

Knowing this background, is it wrong to sing “Joy to the World” at Christmastime?  Absolutely NOT!  This song is great any time of the year, including Christmas.  When we think of Jesus’ birth, we also can sing for joy at His coming, when the full effects of what this song promises will be felt upon the earth.  The historical reality of His first coming is a down payment on the reality of His second!  Just as Jesus brought forgiveness for our sins and revelation of who God is at His first coming, He also will bring judgment and righteousness at His second coming.

So, join the world in singing JOY this year . . . knowing that God’s redemption is coming.

Joy to the World

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.

 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Read: Romans 8:19-25; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

Some songs are old, having been sung for decades.  Then there is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”  This song has a history that dates all the way back to the eighth century – over 1,300 years ago!  The words were originally written as a poem and not arranged to music as a Christmas carol until the twelfth century.

What causes a song to endure that long?  Why do we still sing it?  Though the music is beautiful, there are many beautiful songs.  I think the enduring nature of this song is found in its message of hope. 

The song is really a beautiful expectation.  In fact, the poem on which it was based is arranged as an acrostic that spells the phrase “ero cras” which translates to “I will be with you tomorrow.”  The underlying theme of the song is that the world is not yet what it will be.  Drawing its imagery from the nation of Israel in the Old Testament days waiting for the arrival of the promised Savior, these lyrics speak of the arrival of God the Son (Jesus — “Emmanuel” means God with us), who began to make good on a number of promises God had made to His people. 

As we sing this song, we still have a sense of expectation.  The world still is not yet what it will be.  We still live in a world of sin, pain, violence, illness, etc.  We long to see this world changed . . . to be redeemed and restored (Romans 8:19-25).

So as we listen to “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” this Christmas, may we remember the first fruits that came from Jesus’ first coming at Bethlehem.  May that bring hope that “He will be with us tomorrow.”  And, when Jesus comes again, our bodies will be redeemed and the world will be restored.  Therefore, we sing (and wait) with a patient hope.

 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

 

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o’er the grave

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

O come, Thou Day-Spring

Come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heavenly home

Make safe the way that leads on high

And close the path to misery

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height

In ancient times did’st give the Law

In cloud, and majesty and awe

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.

 

Introduction

In recent days much has been made about the separation of church and state.  Prayer is often discouraged in schools and the workplace, curriculums are scrubbed clean of faith-based answers to fact-based questions, and people often prefer religion to be practiced privately, not shared publicly.  This point of view wins the day much of the time in many people’s lives . . . with one notable exception.  At Christmas time, people still allow the Sacred to invade the secular — even INVITE IT onto the public stage in many ways.  What do I mean?

Our culture still celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ every December through music.  Places where God is not welcome eleven months of the year are often platforms of praise from Black Friday to Christmas Day.  All up and down the FM dial all Advent season, we hear deep theology being sung by today’s top artists.  Every trip to the store during the holidays plays out underneath the soundtrack of the Savior.  Rather than focusing on the irony of this reality, let’s enjoy it . . . and use it as a prompt for worship and evangelism during this busy season.

As we listen to this Christmas music, however, I wonder if we really know what we are singing.  After all, most of these songs are very familiar to us . . . we sing them every year . . . but do we really understand what they are talking about?  To say it another way, when we look at “The Christmas Carols” do we know the hope of Christmas past, present, and future? 

This thirty day devotional will take one Christmas song each day for thirty days and provide a reflection on how that song helps us understand more about Jesus and what it looks like for us to follow Him.

In Christ,

Pastor Mark Robinson

 

To access all 30 days of “The Christmas Carols” devotional in pdf format, click here.

 

To access playlists for all 30 songs and for more information about how to worship with Wildwood Community Church this Christmas season, click here.