Christmas is almost here! I hope you are able to rejoice in the Savior’s birth with those you love.
I thought it would be fun to share several of my favorite Christmas hymns and the stories behind them. I love listening to lyrically rich music, and there is so much goodness to be found in Christmas songs!
Joy to the World was published by Isaac Watts in 1719 as part of a collection of poems from the Psalms. In these poems, Watts focused on seeing Christ in the Old Testament. Joy to the World was based on Psalm 98:4-9. Though it has become one of the most famous Christmas songs, it was not written with the birth of Jesus in mind. Rather, it is about the second coming of Christ. If you read the lyrics, you can see that it is much more fitting for the King coming in power than the Messiah being born in a stable. When we sing Joy to the World, we can reflect and praise God for both his first coming and eagerly anticipate His second. 1
Silent Night by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber. On Christmas Eve in Austria in 1818, Pastor Joseph Mohr walked 3 kilometers through the snow to visit his friend Franz Gruber. He needed a new carol for his Midnight Mass that was just hours away and the church organ was broken. He brought a poem he had written two years earlier titled “Stille Nacht.” In just a few hours, Gruber had composed a melody for it to be played on guitar and sung by the local choir. And so Silent Night, a beloved Christmas hymn, was born. 2
O Holy Night by Placide Cappeau, translated by John Sullivan Dwight. O Holy Night is probably my favorite Christmas song musically, but the lyrics are so full as well. I have sung it a cappella in a choir and played it on piano for a recital. The beauty of the harmonies can bring tears to your eyes. But even more beautiful is the truth behind the lyrics, that God sent His only son for a “weary world.” This song was based off Luke 2, and originally written in French in the mid 1800s. Sadly, the composer later walked away from the faith. Because of that, the song was banned from French churches for a time. Later, John Dwight translated the lyrics into English and changed a few of the words and phrases, and it became a beloved hymn once again. God uses flawed human beings to accomplish great works of beauty that glorify Him. Even though the original composer’s heart was not in the right place, the song can be redeemed, just as God has redeemed sinners for His own Glory. 3
Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence from the Liturgy of St. James, translated by Gerald Moutrie. I hadn’t heard this song until this year, but it is now one of my favorite Advent/Christmas songs. It is one of the oldest Christian hymns still in use today, as it was written in the 300s! The Eastern Orthodox church used the lyrics to prepare their hearts before taking communion, but since being translated into English in 1864, it is more often used as an advent song. The song focuses on Christ coming down to us in bodily form and the reverence we should have in approaching him. 4
Hark the Herald Angels Sing was written by Charles Wesley in 1739, a year after his conversion. He published it in a collection of hymns and poems with his brother John. The original first line was “Hark how all the welkin rings; Glory to the King of kings.” “Welkin” means heavens, sky, clouds, or heavenly host. George Whitefield, a famous evangelist and friend of the Wesleys, changed the words to “Hark the Herald Angels Sing; Glory to the Newborn King” when he included it in his hymnal in 1753. There are three verses that are commonly sung, but there is a fourth verse that is full of truth about Christ coming to conquer Satan and be a second Adam.
The fourth verse reads, “Come, Desire of nations come, Fix in us Thy humble home; Rise, the Woman’s conquering Seed, Bruise in us the Serpent’s head. Adam’s likeness now efface: Stamp Thine image in its place; Second Adam, from above, Reinstate us in thy love. Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.”
While the lyrics were deep and full, Wesley’s melody was slow and somber. Hark the Herald Angels Sing wasn’t popular until 1856 when William Cummings put the lyrics to the music from a cantata of the Messianic-Jewish composer Mendelssohn. We’ve been singing it this way ever since. 5 6
Angels We Have Heard on High is a traditional French Carol from the 1700s with no known author or composer. In southern France, shepherds had a tradition of calling out to one another on Christmas Eve “Gloria, In Excelsis Deo!” from their own hillsides. It is quite possible the hymn about the angels coming to the shepherds was written by shepherds! The song was first published in French hymnals in 1855, and was translated into English by James Chadwick in 1862. The version we sing today was modified in 1916. The phrase “Glory to God in the Highest!” has passed through languages and cultures through the song Angels We have Heard on High. May the phrase and the meaning continue to spread throughout the world! 7
O Come O Come Emmanuel was a Latin hymn chanted by monks as early as the 800s. It was translated by J.M. Neale in 1851 with a tune written by Thomas Helmore. The song has an air of longing. Even though we can rejoice for Emmanuel has come to us, there is still sadness and longing and sin and death in the world. Jesus is God with us, the Rod of Jesse, the Day-Spring, and the Desire of Nations. And yet, we know we will not see all of this in full completion until He returns at the end of time. We can rejoice that He has come, but also look forward to His return to make all things new. 8 9
Well, there’s 7 of my favorite Christmas Hymns! What are some of your favorites? Let me know your answers in the comments!
Since I won’t have another post before New Year’s, I wanted to include a great New Years Hymn as well! I hadn’t heard it until this year, but I am excited to play it for church on New Year’s Eve!
All Glory be to Christ was first sung by the congregation of Dustin Kensrue on January 1, 2012. Kensrue had re-written the lyrics to the old Scottish Tune Auld Lang Syne. He wanted a special reminder at the beginning of the new year that all our efforts should be to bring Glory to Christ. If you have not heard this song, I encourage you to listen to it! A version by Hymns of Grace is linked below. 10
Merry Christmas and Happy New year!
References:
- Greg Forster. A Brief History of “Joy to the World”. Crossway. https://www.crossway.org/articles/a-brief-history-of-joy-to-the-world/ ↩︎
- The German Way & More. Stille Nacht/Silent Night: The True Story. https://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/stille-nacht-silent-night/ ↩︎
- Hope Bolinger. Dec 22, 2020. ‘What is the Meaning and Story Behind ‘O Holy Night‘? Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-the-meaning-and-story-behind-o-holy-night.html ↩︎
- Scott Aniol. Dec 25, 2017. First Hymn of Christmas: Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. Religious Affections Ministries. https://religiousaffections.org/articles/hymnody/first-hymn-of-christmas-let-all-mortal-flesh-keep-silence/ ↩︎
- Clayton Kraby. Hymn Story: Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Reasonable Theology. https://reasonabletheology.org/hymn-story-hark-the-herald-angels-sing/ ↩︎
- Tyler Scarlett. Dec 12, 2012. The Story Behind the Carol: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing!” Forest Baptist Church. https://www.forestbaptistchurch.org/the-story-behind-the-carol-hark-the-herald-angels-sing/ ↩︎
- Center for Church Music, Songs, and Hymns. Angels We Have Heard on High. https://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/angels-we-have-heard-on-high ↩︎
- Discipleship Ministries. May 20, 2013. History of Hymns: O Come O Come Emmanuel. https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-o-come-o-come-emmanuel ↩︎
- John Piper. Dec 13, 2015. O Come, O Come, Emmauel. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/o-come-o-come-emmanuel ↩︎
- Hymns of Grace. All Glory Be to Christ #133. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix5otxLT3SU ↩︎