This December I look forward to speaking for four Sundays about the original songs of Christmas. These four songs, contained in the first two chapters of Luke, poetically proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
These first four songs of Christmas come from Mary, Zechariah (father of John the Baptist), the angels speaking to the shepherds and a man named Simeon. Together, these songs show us the expectation and wonder of the announcement and arrivals of Jesus Christ.
In December, we traditionally observe the four weeks leading up to Christmas as the season of Advent, which means “arrival”. What a welcome opportunity each Christmas season to reflect upon why we long for and marvel at God’s Son sent to us.
In Luke Chapter 1, Zechariah knew that God would use his newborn son, John, to make known the coming of Jesus, “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” Luke 1:76-77 (NIV)
This same message announced through these first songs should be foremost on our hearts as we begin the Christmas season. We recognize the same sense of expectancy and longing, as we live within a world that seeks to pull us away from God, but has no answer to the hopelessness surrounding us.
Yet, through Jesus we indeed have the single answer for lasting peace and genuine hope within a world full of suffering and longings. Right in the middle of our struggle in this life, we already have the certainty of hope and eternal life that these four songs announced. Greater than any gift we could ever receive, we can each receive the gift of saving faith in Jesus Christ.
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