Christmas is the one season of the year when the Christian message is played over the loud speakers of the marketplace. In a nation where the freedom to speak of Jesus Christ in the public forum is being severely tested, Christmas carols, even though interspersed by secular songs of the season, sing beautifully and boldly of the Savior of the world. Breaking into the darkness of a sinful world, we hear the familiar strains of Silent Night and Joy to the World and know that truth is being proclaimed for all who will listen. Throughout the Advent Season, these powerful words with their well-fitting melodies, whether rousing or gentle, complex or simple, become the backdrop of our lives from shopping malls to doctors' offices, from car radios to children's programs. Then, as the shopping season ends and the Christmas Season begins for Christians, the carol singing becomes the most splendid of all as in churches around the world we join in singing these glorious carols in the celebration of the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords. These same carols that have been used to evangelize the secular world, often slipping unnoticed into the spirits of non-believers, are now the instruments used by Christians to voice their exultation of the God-man who pierced the darkness of our world forever.
   Most of the well-known carols are full of strong theology that instructs our minds as it captures our hearts and infuses our spirits. "O Come, All Ye Faithful" invites us to "behold Him, born the King of angels" and reminds us that this Jesus, whom we behold, is the "Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing." The haunting refrain which builds with a thrice repeated "O come, let us adore Him," ends by declaring Him "Christ the Lord."
   "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" is a seventeenth century hymn with words paraphrased from the Christmas story in Luke, chapter 2. The stirring melody is adapted from a work by George Frederick Handel, who also gave us the powerful oratorio, The Messiah-probably the most well-loved oratorio sung in both sacred and secular venues throughout the Advent and Christmas Seasons.
   "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing", one of Charles Wesley's greatest hymns, proclaims the good news of "God and sinners reconciled" and states that Jesus was "born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth." That's the message of redemption in a nutshell! Set to a rousing tune by Felix Mendelssohn (who was a converted Jew), the words penetrate into the depths of our hearts.
  "Silent Night", the beautiful and serene nineteenth century German carol, was written by a pastor and his organist to be sung with a guitar on Christmas Eve since the church organ was in need of repair. It speaks eloquently of the Virgin Mary, of the glory of the heavenly hosts, and of the "radiant beams" streaming from the holy face of the Son of God. It also points to "the dawn of redeeming grace."
  Another gentle hymn is the nineteenth century American hymn "O Little Town of Bethlehem", written by Phillips Brooks, recalling a Christmas he spent in Bethlehem. The stillness and silence of God's "wondrous gift" is poetically painted, ending with his prayer: "O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray, cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today. . . O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel."
   "Joy to the World", by the famous English hymn writer Isaac Watts, speaks of the exuberance of heaven, earth, and nature all rejoicing at the coming of the Lord and Savior. It proclaims Christ's victory over the curse of sin and His rule over "the world with truth and grace," with "the glories of His righteousness and [the] wonders of His love." The exciting tune, with the antiphonal men's and women's parts on the thrice repeated last phrase, is fun to sing and powerfully emphasizes the message.
   In the midst of the secularization of the holy Christmas Season, let us listen in the marketplace for the glorious sounds proclaiming the coming of our Lord Jesus and reminding us of His love and redemption. Let us pray that the message of the Gospel finds a home in the hearts of unbelievers as they hear the glad tidings of our Christmas carols.