The Problem With Christmas Music

I love Christmas music. I began listening to "Jingle Bells" and "O Holy Night" several weeks ago. The way I see it, the department stores (and their increasingly early commercialism) are finally catching up to my family and our traditions. My mother would pull out the Christmas music well before Thanksgiving...we had a very nice collection. Old records of Bing and Nat, updated classics with Steven Curtis Chapman and Amy Grant, and even a little bit of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra filled our house and car with the sounds of the season.

Anytime I hear any of those recordings, or even any recording of some of those songs, a warm and welcome sense of nostalgia causes a flood of memories to flash through my mind. Christmas music is such a beautiful and fun part of Americana...no doubt everyone has distinct memories of Christmases past (whether good or bad), and, my guess is that most of us relate many of our Christmas memories with the music of the season.

And, therein lies the problem with Christmas music. I've discovered over the years that, it's very easy for us (Christ followers) to sing our favorite Chrismas carols at church in December and never allow for anything more than that warm nostalgic feeling. We can get so caught up in the warm feelings that worship never really takes place...worship is our primary purpose when we gather together on Sunday mornings, not singing Christmas songs.

And, this problem goes way beyond Sunday mornings and Christmas music. Christmas (or any holiday season for that matter) can, as a whole, seem more like a nostalgic and whimsical dream than a reality. The commercials, the movies, the shopping, the parties, the food and drinks...it's a huge thing that can seem to pull us out of our everyday lives, including our everyday worship. Singing songs, hanging out with friends, giving gifts, and even reading the Christmas story (Jesus) are are beautiful things, but they too often become the ultimate goal instead of means to a greater end. (perhaps this is partly why January can feel like such a depressing month).

So, this season, let's be sure to remember the why and Who that everything Christmas should revolve arround. How are you helping to lead your congregation into a deeper understand of true worship during this Christmas season, not in spite of the traditions, but because of them?

Nate

PracticalWorship

Comments

[Jim Cox]

I've been here on this issue. When I hear 'O Holy Night' am I paying attention to the lyrics, or just wondering if the singer is going to hit that fifth at the end. Most Christmas songs remind me of singing them in school, as our family wasn't worried about God/Christ/Church etc. I have to force myself to think about the blood. The Robert Powell movie images are a good way to remember how he wasn't just born, but born to be murdered on our behalf. We should remember this baby would pay a price for each of us, without ever having earned it.

[matt]

Maybe the problem with Christmas music isn't just the nostalgia but the delivery. Most of them are hymns and it can be difficult to break them so as to make them new again. I am not saying that I have this figured out, but our church has this season embraced them as a significant part of our corporate worship, more so than last year.