Dakota Beacon

Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer greet Christmas shoppers in their hustle and bustle. Excitement builds to a crescendo. But after Christmas the commotion subsides. What then? Surely, there must be more to Christmas than mere superficiality.

The Christmas story, recited over the centuries, must be told again.

The true and ancient roots of Christmas lie captured in the music of the Nativity. Regrettably, secular and commercial music has drowned out the traditional carols in the public square. Traditional carols, if played at all, are usually instrumental versions minus the words and the profound message of Christmas. Purging the Christian message from our culture becomes endemic.

Carols dating back hundreds of years present Christ’s arrival and His purpose unchanged. They sing of God the Father arriving in human form. The 18th century Latin hymn “O Come All Ye Faithful” offers a wonderful example.

“...Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore Him ... Christ the Lord.”

The same holds true for “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (Charles Wesley and Felix Mendelssohn):

“Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the ever-lasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of the Virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.”

            Isaac Watts wrote “Joy to the World” based on Psalm 98 describing the purpose for Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem:

“No more let sins and sorrow grow, nor do thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.”

            According to Scripture, God created us as body, soul, and spirit. We understand the body through the five senses. Within the body lives  the soul or the volitional, intellectual, and emotional part of our make-up. This we can understand psychologically. But, distinct from the soul is the spirit with the faculties of conscience, intuition, and the ability to commune with God’s Holy Spirit. Spiritual attributes present a real challenge to our understanding. Like the Holy of Holies within the ancient Jewish temple, they are almost unfathomable.

            Unfortunately for us, we have inherited from Adam’s Fall a defiant and rebellious temperament. In our spirit we are rebels. Without a reborn spirit, the body and soul can never be reconciled with God. Only the grace and love of God reaching down to a broken and fallen world can restore us. It is His initiative, not ours.

That was the purpose of Jesus’ arrival -- to proclaim the availability of reconciliation. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Phillips Brooks captures the essence of the message in the last verse.

“O Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray;

”Cast out our sin and enter in -- Be born in us today.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ as the path to redemption is again made clear in “Silent Night, Holy Night” by Joseph Mohr:

“Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.”

George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” crowns the message. The entire oratorio is based on Biblical texts and is divided into three parts: the Prophecies and Nativity; the Passion, and the Resurrection; with mankind’s hope of his own resurrection. Emphasized are the words in the “Hallelujah Chorus”:

“The Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ;

And He shall reign for ever and ever. Amen!”

God could not have made it any plainer or any simpler. Traditional carols proclaim the Glad Tidings and Good News to everyone. A return to the daily grind will never be the same.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).