A Reason for Christmas Carols

Luke 2:8–14 KJV 1900

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.

Christmas Carols are some of my favorite types of music to listen to.

Now I cringe at when I hear people talk about all Christmas songs as carols.

Christmas songs may or may not have anything to do with Jesus, while a Christmas carol has His birth, incarnation, life as its focus.

There are nearly 10,000 songs about or for Christmas (9,274 songs to be exact)

The average song runs approximately 3.5 minutes

You would need to sing Christmas songs 24/7 from December 1 to December 24

One fascinating fact of our current society is that Christmas season unofficially begins around October in some stores.

There’s something about Christmas music and pine scent that makes people want to buy I guess.

Christmas music, especially secular Christmas (now that’s an interesting sounding conundrum secular Christmas music) is a multi-billion-dollar industry.

The BBC put out a documentary in 2012 called, “The World’s Top Richest Songs” three of the highest grossing songs in the world were Christmas songs.

in the year 1934 a publisher in New York City approached a lyricist by the name of Haven Gillespie and said to Gillespie, “You know, I think that you have a vocabulary that children can understand,” which I don’t think really is a complement. He went on to say, “I’d like you to write a Christmas song.”

So Gillespie sits down with his collaborator J. Fred Coots. He writes down some lyrics on the back of an envelope. It takes him about 15 minutes. It takes his collaborator J. Fred Coots not much longer, and they come up with the song, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” That song has made $27 million. The families have a copyright on it until the year 2029. Every time you hear it, they make a little more money.

Now, the second song was written in 1934 by a jazz musician by the name of Mel Tormé. It’s called, “The Christmas Song,” and it goes like this: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” He wrote it in the middle of a blistering Los Angeles summer with his collaborator, so I assure you there were no chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and there was no Jack Frost nipping at his nose on that particular day. It took them 45 minutes. They made $20 million dollars off of it, and Mel Tormé, who is Jewish, has profited greatly off of that Christmas song.

But, these two songs pale in comparison to the number-one-selling single in the world. It’s the second highest grossing single in the world next to Happy Birthday ...and the song has made $30 million. It was written in 1940 by a Jewish immigrant from Russia by the name of Irving Berlin. It was sung by a young man who was nicknamed Bing when he was 7-years-old. What’s the name of the song? “White Christmas.”

Christmas Carols are intended to do more than just make us feel nostalgic, warm and fuzzy, or go buy things - they should be focused upon Christ - the answer

Christmas Carols should cause us to look up

Christmas Carols are commonly defined as uplifting melodies with minor and diminished chords, centered upon the birth of Jesus and focusing on the story of hope, joy, and humility.

It’s that minor and diminished chords that get me when I attempt to play them at times.

The first Christmas carol came around AD 129, just 30 years after the death of the apostle John (also known as John the Evangelist).

Telesphorus The bishop of Rome and later the 2nd-century pope, decreed that “In the Holy Night of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior, all shall solemnly sing the ‘Angel’s Hymn.’”

The lyrics, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests,”

This first Carol finds its source from the angels as recorded in Luke 2:14.

One of my favorite Christmas Carols is “I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day”

But it wasn’t written in the heat of a blistering Los Angeles summer - but rather in the heat of battle and heartache and loss

It wasn’t just something nonsensical scribble on paper - to say something had been written - but it is full and bursting with meaning and hope, and faith

The author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is an interesting character of Americana

“Longfellow is one of the monumental cultural figures of nineteenth-century America, the nation's preeminent poet in his era, whose verse is notable for its lyric beauty, its gentle moralizing, and its immense popularity.”

One of the poems published about the same time as “Christmas Bells”

was "The Theologian's Tale; The Legend Beautiful" from his collection "Tales of a Wayside Inn".

The poem tells the story of a monk who, while deep in prayer, experiences a vision of Christ.

The vision is filled with light and splendor, and the monk is deeply moved by it. However, the convent bell rings, signaling the time to distribute food to the poor.

The monk is torn between staying in the presence of the vision and fulfilling his duty to help the needy.

A voice within him whispers, "Do thy duty; that is best; leave unto thy Lord the rest".

The monk chooses to go and help the poor, and the vision disappears.

The poem emphasizes the importance of duty and self-sacrifice, highlighting that true devotion involves serving others.

It’s a balance between spiritual devotion and practical action. I love that line...

"Do thy duty; that is best; leave unto thy Lord the rest!"

Born in Portland in 1807, he attended college at the age of 14, later became a professor at Harvard University.

He became one of the most widely known American poets in his day.

While many events transpired between that young 14 year old and the man who would write Christmas Bells

Some of the most notable are the death of his first wife Mary in 1835 due to complications of a miscarriage.

He later married Francis Appleton in 1843 to which were born six children.

While there are conflicting reports - we do know that somehow in 1861 Francis’ clothing caught fire and she succumbed to the fire and smoke inhalation.

This left a tragic hole in the poets heart and life -

Life seemed to stop - seemed to end

Some report that she passed just a day or two before their 18th wedding anniversary.

The Civil War was ramping up during this time and Charlie the oldest of the Longfellow children in a perhaps a misguided sense of duty, and out of rage to his father, forged his father’s signature as he was only 17 to join the Union Army.

During the war Charlie was severely wounded and became paralyzed.

All of these events lead Mr. Longfellow to question all of the things he had been told about God, about faith, about hope, about trust.

Too ill from his burns and grief, Henry did not attend Franny’s funeral.

For three years, the man carried on at his trade... But his family could see the terrible effect of the grief that he had locked in his mind and soul.

He ceased to care for his appearance and let his beard grow long… mostly because the scars made shaving almost impossible.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's journal entries for December 25th during the years 1861-1865 reflect his deep personal grief and the impact of the American Civil War. Here are some key entries:

December 25, 1861: "How inexpressibly sad are all holidays! But the dear little girls had their Christmas-tree last night; and an unseen presence blessed the scene."

December 25, 1862: "A merry Christmas," say the children; but that is no more, for me. Last night the little girls had a pretty Christmas-tree."

December 25, 1863: Longfellow did not write in his journal on this day, no doubt his grief unbearable

He was the greatest American poet, a legend in his own time… but Henry Wadsworth Longfellow knew no joy in life.

Then came Christmas 1864, at the age of 57, Longfellow was sitting at his desk, trying to capture the joy of the season… the joy he saw in others.

These are the words he wrote…

I heard the bells on Christmas day.

Their old familiar carols play.

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Christmas can be a sad and lonely time for many people.

Those who are depressed… when all the world is cheerful and jolly

Those who are lonely…….. when the rest of the world is having family time

Those who are mourning….. when it seems that everyone else is celebrating

Those who are poor…….. when giving presents is the order of the day

Longfellow was one of those people…. Mourning, still mourning after three years.

There he sat in his office, missing his loved one, when he heard the carolers in the street. He heard the bells from the local church peeling out one of the favorite Christmas favorites.

The first verse of the song tells us that he heard them. He did not sing with them. He did not feel cheered by them. But he heard them.

In the second verse you can hear his response.

I thought how, as the day had come The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along the unbroken song Of peace on earth good will to men.

He reflected how all over the world, bells like those he was hearing, were singing out the same glorious song…. Peace on earth…. Good will to men.

But he had no peace, he felt no good will from God toward him.

The bells were a lie and the carols were a mockery of his tragic situation.

Then his thoughts took on a larger scale, he began to reflect on the situation in his world.

The year was 1864.

The country was living through it’s darkest day.

Mourning, pain, destruction and meaningless death was all around them.

In the words of their President…. They were “engaged in a great civil war, testing whether this nation, or any nation….. could long endure” such a terrible fate.

Where was joy?

It was nation against nation,

state against state,

brother against brother,

father against son.

At Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Shiloh and Fredericksburg the ground was covered in blood.

Young lives were wasted to gain a single inch that would be lost again within the hour.

The hatred and venom spewed from both sides. There was no peace on earth…. No good will towards anyone on the other side.

What would you guess is the hardest thing about training a seeing-eye dog? They are very smart dogs. Maybe it would be training them to come, or sit, or heal, or stop at a curb. Well the truth is, the hardest thing to train them to do is… LOOK UP! Dogs usually keep their eyes focused about 18 inches above the ground. They rarely look up unless they hear something.

Many dear hunters know deer are the same way. That is why so many use tree stands…. Deer hardly ever look up.

Well, the average blind person is about five to six feet tall. Thus, the dog has to be taught to look up and look out for things that could hurt the blind person. I a dog can not be trained to look up he will not qualify as a seeing-eye dog. If he can be trained, the blind person will be blessed.

And so it is with Christmas. Like the blind person… we get in trouble if the focus is downward. We get in trouble because we focus at an earthly level. We focus on the pain, the loneliness, the troubles.

This seems to be Longfellow’s struggle - He looks up for a moment and then he looks back down and trips into despair.

Listen to how he is looking up as he penned the third stanza

Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day,     A voice, a chime,     A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then he must have turned and looked at Charles laying there and his vision slipped back to despair as he writes in his poem - this was not included in the Carol that was later written from the poem - listen to this...

Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South,     And with the sound     The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent,     And made forlorn     The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said;     "For hate is strong,     And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

But at that moment the Christmas Bells began to ring in the village church and it helped Longfellow look up - to hear the angels sing, “Glory to God in the Highest...”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;     The Wrong shall fail,     The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men."

He pivots from despair to hope:

Just a few moments ago he was sure that God either COULD NOT (as he was dead) or WOULD NOT (as he was asleep) help him, or hear his prayers.

But he looks up and just like that the world revolves from night to day

the bells could ring the louder, the fuller, the more joyfully

Luke 2:14 calls us to celebrate the birth of Jesus as the bringer of peace to a broken world.

Longfellow’s story is a modern echo of that angelic proclamation. Despite his personal grief and the chaos of war, he found hope through the message of Christmas—a hope that is meant for all of us.

The reason we sing Christmas carols is not because life is perfect or free from sorrow. We sing because the birth of Jesus brings a peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7), a peace that is stronger than despair, division, or death.

We are on the verge of who knows what - but I do know we have a God who has come to us to bring us peace...

Let the carols of Christmas remind us of God's promise:

Peace for our hearts in the midst of personal struggles.

Peace for our relationships when divisions seem insurmountable.

Peace for the world as we await the final restoration through Christ.