Christmas carols have a long history. Their first appearance dates back to the thirteenth century, although it would be the nineteenth century before they gained popularity. In point of fact, it wasn’t until the publication of “Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern” in 1833, which contained favourites such as ‘God rest ye Merry Gentlemen’, ‘The First Noel’, and ‘Hark the herald Angels Sing’ that carol singing began to grow in favour.
The author Charles Dickens further popularised the practice. In his literary masterpiece, ‘A Christmas Carol’, the legendary miser, Ebenezer Scrooge is regaled by a single caroller, lustily singing ‘God bless you, merry gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!’ And thus, as with so many other Christmas customs which appear in Dickens’ book, carol singing became permanently embedded in the popular mind as an essential part of the festive season.
The source for many of our most popular carols is the New Testament. And it is no surprise to read in Luke’s gospel of two songs, which were composed around the time of Christ’s birth. In Luke chapter two, what has become known as the song of Simeon is recorded, in which Simeon proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ to be the salvation which God has ‘prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of my people Israel.’ But in Luke chapter one, the evangelist, includes the more famous song of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus.
Mary’s song is normally given the title of the Magnificat, which is a reference to its opening lines, where Mary declares that her soul ‘doth magnify the Lord’. The theme of the Magnificat is God’s salvation. In Luke 1:47 Mary says “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
In this verse Mary acknowledges her need of a Saviour. In common with all humanity she had been shapen in iniquity and in sin did her mother conceive her. She possessed a fallen nature and was guilty of breaking God’s law. As a consequence her sins separated her from her God. The holy God will have no fellowship with sinful men and women until the matter of sin is settled. Mary needed a Saviour.
Mercifully she found a Saviour. She identifies the Saviour as God himself. Mary’s identification of God as her Saviour is eminently biblical. The scriptures reveal Jesus Christ to be both God manifested in the flesh and the Saviour of his people.
But Mary did not merely identify the Saviour, she also embraced him as her Saviour. She speaks here of God my Saviour. She has taken him to be her own God and deliverer. And as a consequence she is accepted as righteous in his sight and forgiven of all of her sins.
Finally, she rejoiced in this Saviour. She announces ‘my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.’ God’s salvation was for Mary a matter of supreme and lasting joy. She had found in the Lord a resting place and he had made her glad.
Do you know Mary’s Saviour? This Christmas we encourage you to receive with the empty hand of faith the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
joseph 11.10.11 at 9:08 am
may God bless you for this coming Christmas
Gabrielle Iriks 11.26.11 at 3:26 am
Dear Mr Hall,
I am disappointed to see you compromising on the issue of Christmas or Christ’s Mass as it should be known by. I have recently read the Free Presbyterians Church’s reaffirmation on their website on their continued opposition to the blasphemy of the Roman Catholic mass. Should not we as Protestants worshipping God in spirit and in truth also reject the Romish practices of ‘Christs Mass’ or Christmas? John Knox from whom the Free Presbyterian Church traces its founding beliefs to has this to say about the Romish practice of ‘ Christmas. (as follows)
Quote ; “In 1560, Knox and several others drew up the First Book of Discipline. In this book, the First Head of Doctrine begins with a general statement on the nature of the gospel.[18]
After the opening statement, an “explication” is given which asserts the sole authority of scripture as it relates to doctrine and worship. Note the firm condemnation of holidays, as incorporated in this remarkable document:
Lest upon this our generality ungodly men take occasion to cavil, this we add for explication. By preaching of the Evangel, we understand not only the Scriptures of the New Testament, but also of the Old; to wit, the Law, Prophets, and Histories, in which Christ Jesus is no less contained in figure, than we have him now expressed in verity. And, therefore, with the Apostle, we affirm that “all Scripture inspired of God is profitable to instruct, to reprove, and to exhort.” In which Books of Old and New Testaments we affirm that all things necessary for the instruction of the Kirk, and to make the man of God perfect, are contained and sufficiently expressed.
By contrary Doctrine, we understand whatsoever men, by Laws, Councils, or Constitutions have imposed upon the consciences of men, without the expressed commandment of God’s word: such as be vows of chastity, foreswearing of marriage, binding of men and women to several and disguised apparels, to the superstitious observation of fasting days, difference of meat for conscience sake, prayer for the dead; and keeping of holy days of certain Saints commanded by men, such as be all those that the Papists have invented, as the Feasts (as they term them) of Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins, of Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, Purification, and other fond feasts of our Lady. Which things, because in God’s scriptures they neither have commandment nor assurance, we judge them utterly to be abolished from this Realm; affirming further, that the obstinate maintainers and teachers of such abominations ought not to escape the punishment of the Civil Magistrate.[19]
The position of the Scottish Church was reaffirmed in 1566. Theodore Beza wrote to Knox, requesting Scottish approval for the Second Helvetic Confession (1566). The General Assembly in Scotland replied with a letter of general approval. Nevertheless, the Assembly could
scarcely refrain from mentioning, with regard to what is written in the 24th chapter of the aforesaid Confession concerning the “festival of our Lord’s nativity, circumcision, passion, resurrection, ascension, and sending the Holy Ghost upon his disciples,” that these festivals at the present time obtain no place among us; for we dare not religiously celebrate any other feast-day than what the divine oracles prescribed.[20]
The King, the Pastor,
and the Prelates
When King James took the throne in England, he repudiated Presbyterianism and became an advocate of the Anglican Church government, because it was more compatible with his notions of monarchy. At the Assembly of Perth, in 1617, the king sought to impose various ceremonies designed to enhance the Episcopal cause. The liturgical impositions included receiving communion in a kneeling position, private administration of the sacraments, Episcopal confirmation, and the observance of Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, and the Ascension. Scottish ministers resisted this action, with a supplication against all points of the program.[21]
David Calderwood (1575-1651) represents the firm opposition given by faithful Scottish ministers. He issued a pointed critique of the Perth Assembly, published in 1619, in which he attacked these innovations in worship that were imposed upon the Church of Scotland.
In a section on festival days, Calderwood asserts that only God has the prerogative “to appoint a day of rest and to sanctify it to his honor.” Under the law of God, no one presumed to appoint holy days “but God, and that either by Himself, or by some extraordinary direction. “[22]
Moreover, the anniversary days prescribed by God “pertained to the ceremonial law; but so it is that the ceremonial law is abolished. The anniversary days were distinguished from the moral sabbath;” only the ordinary (weekly) sabbath remains. “The moral use of the ordinary sabbath was for the service of God in general both private and public. The mystical use [of the anniversary days] was to be a memorial of things bypast, and a shadow of things to come. The moral use endures, the mystical uses are vanished.” “The Judaical days had once that honor, as to be appointed by God himself; but the anniversary days appointed by men have not the like honor.”[23]
Calderwood continues, “If it had been the will of God that the several acts of Christ should have been celebrated with several solemnities, the Holy Ghost would have made known to us the day of his nativity, circumcision, presentation in the temple, baptism, transfiguration, and the like.” “This opinion of Christ’s nativity on the 25th day of December was bred at Rome.” He then exposes some of the preposterous Romish claims made for the 25th day of December as the day of Christ’s birth; and he notes inconsistent claims, made in previous centuries, for other dates on the calendar, as the day of the Savior’s nativity. “The diversity of the ancients observing some the 6th day of January, some the 19th day of April, some the 19th of May, some the 25th day of December, argues that the Apostles never ordained it.” “You see then as God hid the body of Moses, so has he hid this day, and other days depending on the calculation of it, wherein he declared his will concerning the other days of his notable acts: to wit, that not Christ’s action, but Christ’s institution makes a day holy.” “Nay, let us utter the truth, December-Christmas is a just imitation of the December-Saturnal of the ethnic [heathen] Romans, and so used as if Bacchus, and not Christ, were the God of Christians.”[24]
“It is commonly objected, that we may as well keep a day for the nativity, as for the resurrection of Christ. We have answered already, that Christ’s day, or the Lord’s Day, is the day appointed for remembrance of his nativity, and all his action and benefits, as well as for the resurrection. “[25]
Further, says Calderwood, even supposing that the keeping of holy days was initially indifferent, the festival days must now be abolished, because “they are abused and polluted with superstition.” Indeed, the brazen serpent was originally constructed by God’s express command; yet it was destroyed when it became a snare to the people of God (2 Kings 18:4). How much more, then, should we discard man-made observances which are additionally contaminated with Romish superstition and idolatry.[26]” End of Quote.
The very fact that Christ name is linked with such an idolatrous practice as the mass should be reason enough for us to examine the source of this ‘feast day’. Scripture tells us it is an abomination to even have the names of the heathen gods in our mouths which is why the puritans used 1st day 2nd day ect rather than the pagan names we have now for the days of the week. This should be the same for Christmas. We should just tell people honestly and openly the truth about Christ- Mass rather than sugar coat it with Christian messages overlaid on top in order to use it as a vehicle for evangelization. NOW is the Day of Salvation the bible says not waiting for the ‘opportunity ‘ of Christmas. How many people do you know who come to the Lord through Christmas Day celebration services or the suchlike . I know its takes courage to stand
up against the flow and announce the truth. Its hard to stand outside the camp, take up our cross and follow Jesus without the camp but that is what we are called to do. We will stand before God one day and account for all our actions and words. The great antichrist of Rome. the pope has slaughtered, tortured and killed 150,000,000 of our brethren and in her is found every foul spirit scriptures say. Our continued opposition to Rome and its popes claims should be in every area of doctrine where their unclean hands have twisted and added to the pure word of God. To God be the Glory alone , Hallelujah. I pray you will take this in the spirit of love it is given in and hopefully study the great scriptural truths true Protestantism is built on. thanking you, Gabrielle
Gabrielle Iriks 11.26.11 at 3:37 am
To further add to this note. I was brought up a Roman Catholic and know the terrible consequences of its false teaching. I wandered in the darkness for nearly 30 yrs before I heard the pure and saving Gospel of faith in Christ alone through grace alone on the word of God alone. I spent 30 yrs of life without the Lord, marrying and raising 5 children without the Lord. I live daily with the consequences of life without the Lord for those first 30 yrs of my life . I know how dark the darkness is of Roman Catholicism and will strive all my life to shine the light of Gods word on its twisted and evil ways. Thank you Gabrielle
Gabrielle Iriks 11.26.11 at 4:24 am
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Xmas_ch2.htm