CHRISTmas Fun: History, Traditions, Scriptures and Hymns

Christmas carols and hymns contain a history. The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on the second half of Psalm 98 in the Bible. subsequently set to the tune of Greensleeves, a traditional English folk song. Interesting enough, there is no mention of Christ, the newborn Babe, or the Savior's mission.
Table of contents

• The Origins of 10 Popular Christmas Carols
• The 15 Best Christmas Songs, Ranked (Religious Category) :: Music :: Features :: Christmas :: Paste
• COLLECTIONS
• The 15 Best Christmas Songs, Ranked (Religious Category)

I have no idea if Wenceslas was as good as advertised, but I can get behind a sympathetic king braving the cold to bring food to a peasant.

In fact, this one is barely religious until the point when the king shows supernatural powers to save his page on the cold night. There are a couple ways to cover this song; it can be powerful when slow , but I think I prefer the classic upbeat Irish Rovers version. Comfort and joy are not the emotions I come away with.

And I love that Annie Lennox picked up on the weird elements and blew them out in this bizarre, awesome video. But at the end of Christmas concerts, when everyone needs a little boost before they head out the door, nothing works better. It feels low, but then again, I think the hype might overshadow the actual song, which is very good without being truly transcendent. Which is why The Temptations version is so good.

Amazingly, this clip exists on YouTube, and it has doo-wop camels singing the chorus. Does this version do justice to the music? Does it strike a nostalgic chord with me, and am I going to force it on you? Throw in the historical element, and it has a lot of weight.

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For me, this is the most underrated Christmas song of any category. And guess what, haters? At one time in America, that's exactly what happened. In the s, some influential Christians didn't like how "commercial" Christmas had become, so the colony in Massachusetts banned celebrating the holiday, and that ban lasted for over twenty years.

But it's easy to recognize that not everyone celebrates Christmas for the same reason. We should be thankful, then, that we have Christmas carols to remind us why we celebrate and to help us praise God for keeping his promise to send a Savior to his people--the same Savior whom we celebrate today.

Here are the stories and meanings behind four of the world's most loved Christmas carols! Do you know what was one of the hardest, smelliest, and most dangerous jobs in Jesus' time? If you said "shepherd" then you're right!

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Shepherds worked long hours and slept outside. They chased away dangerous animals and thieves, had to find water for themselves and the animals, and nursed the sheep back to health when they were sick. But God cares about everybody--shepherds included--and that's part of why we read in Luke that he sent his angels to shepherds to announce the birth of Christ! These particular shepherds were guarding the sheep at night when an angel appeared and told them about Jesus.

COLLECTIONS

Then, more angels appeared, and they sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Then it answers, and begs those who hear to come to Bethlehem to see King Jesus, about whom the angels were singing.



The carol then invites us to imagine Jesus, lying in a manger, the Lord of heaven and earth whom even his earthly parents ought to worship. God could have sent Jesus' birth announcement to kings and queens all over the world, but instead, he sent it to shepherds. Singing this carol encourages us to praise the God who keeps his promises, and who cares about everybody, whether they are shepherds or kings or you or me.

The 15 Best Christmas Songs, Ranked (Religious Category)

For an occasion as important as the birth of Jesus, one song just isn't enough! Charles Wesley--who wrote almost 9, hymns--wrote his own song about Jesus' birth. Hark basically means "listen up! While "Angels We Have Heard on High" tells the story of the shepherds, Wesley's hymn starts there but goes on to say who Jesus is, and to marvel at the mystery of God being born as a tiny little baby. So, who is that newborn that the angels sang about? Wesley explains that he is the king who will bring peace between God and sinners, and that even though he is adored by even the most important and impressive beings in heaven, he was pleased to become a man "veiled in flesh" on the earth.

Wesley imagines Jesus as a frail little baby and yet calls us to "Hail" which is like cheering for somebody him because he is the Prince of peace who brings light, life, and healing to all. The hymn's final stanza sings about the work of Christ as the second Adam, which erases the image of Adam representing sinful man and stamps us with the image of Christ.

Some of our favorite Christmas carols aren't actually carols at all--they're hymns! One of those hymns is "Joy to the World ," written by Isaac Watts as a paraphrase of Psalm 98, about "The Messiah's coming and kingdom. Because that's what the psalm says to do! Psalm 98 is all about singing a new song to God, who promised to "judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.