Four reasons to sing Christmas carols

By Rob Hurtgen

Now that we are officially a few weeks away from Christmas Day, there should be no reason not to sing Christmas Carols, though some of us are still reluctant to sing. I would like to offer four reasons to sing Christmas Carols, even if your singing is a bit off key.

As a culture, we celebrate music, love music, we watch television shows about music competitions, we sing in our cars and some of us sing in our showers, but where in our society other than for one or two songs at a ball-game and church do we actually sing? Not many places at least. Caroling, going out or gathering with a group of people for the specific purpose of singing Christmas songs creates a space to sing.

Singing Christmas Carols brings joy to others. The past several Christmases, I have gone to some nursing homes in my town with some groups and had a time of Christmas Caroling. At one facility our Church took children's choirs to sing. At one home they gathered in a central place and sang five or six songs. At another they walked down each hall singing as if they were waltzing down a street. The simple act of singing Christmas Carols brought tremendous joy to the men and women that day. Singing brings joy to others.

Singing Christmas Carols, according to my 13-year-old, is "Fun!" Think of some of the lyrics from novelty Christmas songs. "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer." "Frosty the Snowman." "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas." Silly, fun songs.

But on the other side of the spectrum are those carols that teach rich theological truths. "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" shouts not only "Glory to the newborn King" but grafts into the heart and mind the truth of Jesus that he is "Veiled in flesh the God-head see; Hail the incarnate Deity." Singing Christmas Carols not only brings a smile to your face but like a farmer who plants a seed in spring expecting a harvest in the fall Christmas Carols plant a seed a of truth that grows in a fertile field of faith.

Lastly, we have been created to sing. Psalm 96:1-2 says, "1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;" Hardwired within us is the desire to sing. Not just for us but to the Lord. We were created to praise, to sing, to shout for joy. Music pulses through the veins of even the least musical among us.