Sing We Now of Christmas: A holiday devotion from a Sower staffer

By Hope Nelson

If there’s one thing that seems to fill the Christmas season more than anything else, it’s music. From the hymns we sing in church to the sometimes-overplayed pop music that hums through the speakers at the local mall, music is everywhere. Whether you’re a Nov. 1 type of Christmas music listener, a staunch supporter of holding out until the day after Thanksgiving, or don’t like Christmas music at all, you can likely see how much of a grip it has on American society during the season.

But why are we singing, after all?

Concordia holds four Christmas concerts over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday following students’ return from Thanksgiving break. The buildup to these is not to be taken lightly – music ensembles spend months preparing the pieces they’ll perform at these concerts, and tickets sell out both in-person and online before you can say Christmas at Concordia. People love Christmas music, and there’s one very important reason why.

In the book of Psalms, the psalmist tells us to “make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise” (95:2). Though we’re still in a season of waiting – that’s Advent – right now, soon enough, Christmas will come and our songs will be full of joy.

This Christmas season, we’re praising God because He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth to be our Savior.

We sing “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” because these songs of praise are our “joyful noise” in this season.

What’s more is that we know that Jesus didn’t stay a baby; He “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). From His birth, He embarked on a path that would lead Him to the cross. At Christmas, we praise the tiny baby Jesus because we know where He’s headed.

This is reflected in a popular Christmas at Concordia featured hymn: “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.” The second verse, which is typically sung by the A Cappella Choir, reads, in part: “Those who set at nought and sold Him/Pierced and nailed Him to the tree/Deeply wailing/Shall their true Messiah see.” This might seem a bit dismal for a hymn we sing at our annual Christmas concerts, but it encapsulates the nature of Jesus’ birth as it points to His eventual death on the cross.

This Christmas season, take a few extra moments to ponder how your favorite Christmas songs tell the story of the little baby who was the greatest gift our world will ever know. And amid the rejoicing at His birth, remember to rejoice at the ultimate reason for His coming: an earthly ministry, a death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection. It’s truly something that necessitates some songs of praise.

So sing of Christmas; sing loudly and sing joyfully. The Savior of the nations is here, and that’s something to rejoice about.