A Season to Sing
By Chris George, Senior Pastor
Christmas is a season for the senses. There are the smells of the season like fresh cut pine, peppermint sticks and pumpkin pie. Our eyes feast on the sights of the seasons with our homes and the stores in which we shop decorated with glittering lights. We love the tastes of the season ranging from hot apple cider to eggnog and honey-baked hams to homemade desserts and Christmas cookies. The sounds of the season assail our ears as we go about our day, with jingling bells and the ringing of the Salvation Army bell in front of our favorite stores. Santa’s jolly laughter reminds us it is a season of smiles. But, perhaps, what I like most about Christmas is the music of the season.
That being said, I must admit that songs of Christmas are a source of conflict in my own household. Each year, my wife and I debate about the appropriate time to start listening to Christmas music. She considers Thanksgiving an appropriate date. I, like any normal person, cannot wait that long. I want to get out my Santa hat and start playing Christmas music at midnight on Halloween. We typically compromise and begin our holiday listening in early November.
This Advent Season, our church will be celebrating a Season to Sing as we examine songs recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Our worship emphasis each Sunday will be viewed through the lens of one of these very special songs— the moment that Jesus was born in a manger, the voice of a skeptical priest who breaks his silence by singing a new song; the song of a frightened and faithful young girl. We will listen to an angelic chorus sing about peace on the Earth. I hope that these songs from the scripture will resonate in and through us, offering a new perspective on this Christmas season.
The sacred songs of Christmas reveal to us the secret to this holy season. Jesus comes not to confirm our assumptions or to advocate for anyone’s agenda, but rather to transform our perspectives and alter our lives. This is what it means to be filled with the Christmas spirit and, according to the text of the scripture, that spirit is the Holy Spirit.
My prayer is that this Christmas our lives will be changed by singing these songs, listening anew to the lyrics, and allowing God’s Spirit to fill our hearts and minds. We will tell the story of God’s faithfulness in the past, participate in God’s work in the present, and share God’s blessed plan for the future. Our words will ring with the melodies of hope. In our actions, people will hear carols of optimism and find the courage to overcome pessimism.
Of course, it all culminates when we share the song of our salvation, which came to fruition with a baby born in a manger. It is a song that has the power to change the world. If we are willing to allow our lives to sing this song, if we are willing to let our voices rise together in a great chorus, this will be a very special Christmas season indeed. Skeptics will become believers. Cynics will be filled with God’s spirit. Hearts will be touched. Sins will be forgiven. Lives will be transformed. It will be a blessed Christmas miracle. And, all it takes, is a willingness to allow our lips and our lives to sing.