Let’s go on a treasure hunt for glimpses of the gospel in traditional Christmas carols!

I love Christmas music. Between Christmas pageants at church and watching this Disney Sing-Along Songs VHS as a young girl, I’ve been able to sing several verses of many traditional Christmas songs for decades. I merrily begin listening to Christmas music each year on Nov. 1 without apology. While I’m known to joyfully belt out “Deck the Halls” or “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” the traditional Christmas carols have always held a special place in my heart.

As I grew and my faith also matured, I began to realize the incredible depth found in these songs, which truly are Christmas hymns. They don’t just mention God as a passing reference; they’re dripping with gospel truth! These songs are written to glorify and praise God for the wonder of his incarnation; the fulfillment of the long-awaited promise of Immanuel–God with us.

I think we often skip over some of it because these songs have become such a tradition over the past few centuries. We don’t always stop and ponder what we’re declaring when we sing the words they contain.

Christ in the Carols

This Advent season, I wanted to spend a little time digging into some of those gospel-rich hymns each week and take some time to dwell on what they say. I hope you’ll join me on the journey!

We’ll take a look at the history and gospel focus of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!,” “Joy to the World!,” and “O Holy Night” over the four Sundays of Advent, one for each week.

Each piece will also contain suggested Scripture readings to pair with the carol and a few reflection questions to meditate on what it says and how we can apply its truths to our lives this Advent season and beyond. I’ll also include a playlist with a few different versions of each carol for you to enjoy.

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In the meantime, I’d love to hear your favorite Christmas carol! Share it in the comments section below. You’ll discover one of mine in the coming weeks. I’ll point it out when we get there. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of yours!