The Danger of Nostalgia in Christmas Music

As we joyfully sing these wonderful Christmas songs, one of the dangers is that we get caught up in the nostalgia and fail to contemplate the words. In the new movie “The Grinch” that just came to theators, the first verse of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is repeated several times. Words like Jesus and Satan being sung in a clearly secular industry.

I think for many people the warm feelings surrounding Christmas make it easy to fail to consider what the words really mean and, in a theater, full of people who don’t know Jesus the song simply translates to “it’s a happy time of year.”

Even though we know the Savior, we know what Christmas is truly about, I believe we are susceptible to doing the same thing. Singing Christmas Carols filled with excitement for the season but failing to consider the meaning behind what we are saying. We can sometimes slip into worshiping Christmas rather than Jesus.

Consider the song God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. It is written in old English and often is misunderstood as speaking of merry, or happy, gentlemen. But that simply isn’t what the phrase means. Consider what the first verse might say in modern, albeit far less poetic language.

May God give generous rest to you people!
Don’t let your heart be distressed.
Because we know that Jesus our Savior was born on Christmas day.
He came to set us free from Satan’s power and slavery to this world,  even though each of us has chosen sin over God.

Christian Music?

As I was riding in my car today I was listening to a song “only one” but Yellowcard it is a nice love song in which the singer says “Scream my lungs out to get to you, you are my only  one”. Steven my brother was riding with you and said good song what is it about. Note that Steven listens to almost all Christian music I listen to about an even mix of Christian and secular. I could tell he was asking if it was a Christian song or not. I just find it kinda sad the way Christian music has gone now, I feel like people are too afraid to actually praise God in there songs and cry out to him in a way that people will know what they are talking about. I feel like it is becoming more of an industry a way to make money a way to become know as a musician not a place where people write songs of worship to God. When I go buy a “Christian CD” I want to know that it will be worshiping God boldly I don’t want to have to wonder if it is about God or some girl.