How am I Supposed to “Worship” Singing O Little Town Of Bethlehem?!
Do you know which Sunday marks the end of the Church calendar year? (Did you know the church had its own calendar?!)
The first Sunday launches the beginning of a whole new year of celebrations, feasts, and... “ordinary time.” But first, we start with Advent! It’s a season of anticipation.
Advent has its music...and, with it, its joys (and concerns). Some of us love Christmas music! Some of us love singing it in church worship services. Some of us can’t bear the thought.
“How am I supposed to ‘worship’ with a song like O Little Town Of Bethlehem?” some ask. “Are we worshiping a dusty old town? What happened to Jesus, the King of kings? We want to worship Him!”
And that’s a good point. Because even if you easily worship the Lord in a song like that, there are many folks in your congregation who either:
Love the sentiment of the cherished Christmas songs and miss the Reason for the season (man, that was old-school right there!)
Fume, wondering why we waste four (and sometimes FIVE!) Sundays singing these “non-worship songs.”
At my church, the first thing we will hear as we walk into the sanctuary on the first Sunday of Advent is O Little Town Of Bethlehem. Which reminds me, I need to transpose that chord chart to F...but back to the point. How will I help us “get” why it would make sense to do such songs fraught with sentimentality, memories, and dreamless sleep?
TESTIMONY
Many of the Christmas hymns (and hymns in general) are songs that recount our testimony, give voice to our journey, and testify God’s work among us (versus songs that sing directly to God). We can let these vivid songs dance through our minds as we see God’s hand at work throughout history...and let our hearts respond in worship.
MEDLEYS
Songwriters (like Paul, Chris, Lincoln, and many others) have been doing mashups of well-known Christmas hymns with well-known modern worship songs. These can help teach our congregations to marry the two worlds (as they sometimes seem). I’ve been surprised at what happens when we’re lifelessly singing through an old Christmas tune and then suddenly make the connection, finding such meaning in what I was singing. And I let my heart respond in worship.
CHOICE
There are Christmas songs I love and might feel like “it isn’t Christmas until I listen to it,” which DOESN’T mean I will give it airplay during Sunday morning gathered worship. What you choose NOT to play is as important as what you DO play. (that disguised music lesson was just a bonus.) This is just as true for Advent as it is in all our music, but we don’t need to sing every Christmas song during the season! And then even giving our folks an “out” like saying, “You may find it difficult to worship with these songs, but let God reveal Himself to you in these stories and experience the wonder of Emmanuel, God with us, and let our hearts respond in worship.”
SCRIPTURE
Include some Gospel and Old Testament readings before singing the Christmas hymns to tie them to God’s story with His people. Use things that strike awe in us (the ANGELS!, the humiliation of a stable birth, the unthinkableness of a young virgin carrying God’s Son as our Rescue, foreign, gift-giving dignitaries finding Jesus by following - get this - a STAR!...) Something lights up when we hear this living, active Word of God, and our hearts respond in worship.
FAVORITES
Sometimes, it is just fine to play favorites, like choosing songs that deeply resonate with you. That way, you’re at least starting from a more deep-rooted passion than “Well, I guess we have to do these songs now...I can’t wait until we can go back to ‘real worship’ again.” Oh, please lead better than that. Get your heart into the right place, connect with music that moves you, and lead it well. Our hearts will respond in worship!
In that spirit, here’s one of my favorite Christmas songs. It’s not an old song, but Bob Kauflin did a great job of capturing the story. This could even be fresh as a reading...hmm, that’s an idea.
In The First Light
Bob Kauflin © 1988 Bridge Building Music, Inc., Organon Key Music, CCLI Song # 142589
In the first light of the new day, no one knew He had arrived
Things continued as they had been while a newborn softly cried
But the heavens, wrapped in wonder, knew the meaning of His birth
In the weakness of a baby, they knew God had come to earth
As His mother held Him closely, it was hard to understand
That her baby, not yet speaking, was the Word of God to man
He would tell them of His kingdom, but their hearts would not believe
They would hate Him, and in anger, they would nail Him to a tree
But the sadness would be broken as the song of life arose
And the firstborn of creation would ascend and take His throne
He had left it to redeem us, but before His life began
He knew He’d come back not as a baby but as the Lord of ev’ry man
Hear the angels as they’re singing on the morning of His birth
But how much greater will our song be when He comes again, when He comes again!
Hear the angels as they’re singing on the morning of His birth
But how much greater will our song be when He comes again to earth
When He comes to rule the earth
Lord, I pray for myself and all my friends who lead worship. Help us to lead well. Awaken our hearts to the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation. Remove the cobwebs from our hearts and enable us to lead as if this is the very first Advent season we’ve known. Compel us to create beautiful music, soaring harmonies, and God-focused lyrics. Capture our hearts until we all respond in worship. Amen
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
How am I Supposed to “Worship” Singing O Little Town Of Bethlehem?! (Nº 96)
