Equipping Eve: A Christmas Carol

Is the church today doing everything it can to provide women a firm foundation of truth in Christ Jesus? Well, it's true there's no shortage of candy-coated Bible studies, potluck fellowships available to ladies.

But beyond Sunday morning, are Christian women being properly equipped to stand against the same deceptions that even enticed Eve in the garden? In an attempt to address the need for trustworthy, biblical resources for women, No Compromise Radio is happy to introduce Equipping Eve, a ladies-only radio show that seeks to equip women with fruits of truth in an age that's ripe with deception.

My name is Mike Abendroth, and I'm pleased to introduce your host, Erin Benziger, a friend of No Compromise Radio and a woman who wants to see other women equipped with a love for and a knowledge of the truth of God's Word.

Christmas as Incarnation, Obedience, and Atonement

Well, hello, ladies, and Merry Christmas. This is Equipping Eve. I'm your host, Erin Benziger, and we are full-on into Christmas season 2017. We are running out of shopping days. Run! Go get your gift cards.

Yeah, gift cards. It's okay. It's okay if you don't know what to get someone and you give them a gift card. It's actually kind of fun to receive a gift card. You know, even if it's to someplace that might seem boring, like the grocery store, it's actually kind of nice to get up to the register and say, hey, I don't have to pay for this today because I've got this gift card.

I don't know why people don't understand that. That's okay. I do understand the joy of giving gifts and picking out things specifically for people that you know they'll enjoy. And there certainly is joy in the giving and joy in the receiving.

But again, like we talked about on our last show, that is not what Christmas is about ultimately, is it? Christmas is about our Lord Jesus Christ, His incarnation, His birth, but not just His birth. It doesn't stop there.

The incarnation. I mean, it was necessary that Christ be born and that He live a perfect life that perfectly kept God's law throughout His entire life because we cannot keep the law. And so we are saved by His obedience to the Lord, not just in His death, but in His life.

And so He had to be born as a baby. He had to live, keep that law perfectly, be perfectly obedient to His Father because the people who He would save cannot be perfect. And then He died, of course, that perfect, sacrificial, atoning death so that His own might be saved.

Christ the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God

You know, on my desk all year, I keep a little shepherd nutcracker. I bought him last year at a German Christkindlmarkt, a feeble attempt at...America's feeble attempt at a German Christkindlmarkt. Let me tell you, if you would like to attend one of those, attend, go to one of those.

Obviously, the best would be to go over to Germany and experience one of those, which I have never done. It sounds amazing. I would love to do that sometime. But Chicago always had a good Christkindlmarkt.

It's one of the few things about Chicago that I miss, pretty much the only thing. But anyway, the ones here near me claim to be authentic. I would beg to differ. As I approached a booth to get some hot cider, thinking I would get some hot cider, and instead I watched the people open one of those little packets of fake hot cider and pour it into hot water, I thought, no, no, this is not like Germany at all.

But that's okay. Anyway, I did purchase this really wonderful little nutcracker there, though. And so that makes it all worthwhile. And so it's this little shepherd, and I keep him on my desk all year, mostly because the picture of Christ as shepherd is one of my favorites.

And I find it fascinating that He is the good shepherd, but He is also the perfect Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as John the Baptist declared. And so it's such a reminder to me that Christ is our shepherd, that He will not lose, not one, who the Father has given to Him, that He protects us, that He cares for us, and also that He is the sacrificial Lamb who, in His goodness, mercy, and grace, and obedience to the Father, died so that I might live, so that those whom He has saved might live forever, be reconciled to God.

What a picture. And that, my friends, that, dear ladies, is this little baby in a manger who we reflect upon this time of year. It is that good shepherd. It is that Passover Lamb, that perfect, final Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ.

So that is what Christmas is about, and as we are getting caught up in the final days of the season, let us not lose sight of that. I am preaching to myself, trust me. Trust me. Preaching to myself. So what I wanted to talk about today was Christmas carols, because who doesn't love Christmas music?

I think as I've gotten older, and as life has gotten more adult-like, I mean, I'm a full-on adult, have been for a very long time, but it's funny, you know, as a kid, Christmas music just really puts you in that Christmas mood, whatever that is.

And so as an adult, I always listen to Christmas music thinking, I'm going to feel Christmassy. I don't know what that's about, because again, Christmas is about Christ, and so it's not about an emotion we feel when we listen to music.

But that does not mean that the music is bad. It means the music is wonderful. I love Christmas carols. I love how they exalt Christ. I love that unbelievers are willingly listening to and singing these songs that exalt Christ, and they're probably doing it mindlessly, most of them.

But that's okay. God's Word never returns void, and so many Christmas carols, Christmas hymns, are just filled with great theology. So we talked about that a little bit last time, I think, I don't recall.

But regardless, we're going to talk about it today. We're going to talk about Christmas carols, but first, before we get there, I thought it might be fun to do a little Christmas carol trivia. Not the movie, Christmas Carol, or play, but Christmas carols, songs, hymns.

Trivia About Christmas Carols

So, I had to use the internet, of course, because that's what it's for, to find some of these little trivia fun facts about some of our favorite Christmas carols. And there's quite a few here, so I won't read them all.

Just a few that are interesting. So here's one for you. Let's see if you can get this right. Although hearing the melody of this 18th century English carol automatically inspires yuletide thoughts, the lyrics make no mention of the manger, the town of Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph, the ox and ass, the angels, the wise men, the shepherds, or the star.

In fact, the carol never actually mentions the birth of Christ, only his coming. Do you know which carol that is, ladies? Giving you a second to guess. Okay. It is actually Joy to the World. The lyrics of Joy to the World are by the great 18th century English hymnist Isaac Watts.

It comes from a collection entitled Psalms of David, imitated in the language of the New Testament, and is a very liberal paraphrase of Psalm 98. The melody, known as Antioch, is attributed to Lowell Mason, and is believed by some to have been adapted from certain phrases in Handel's Messiah.

This is somewhat doubtful, but the tune does have some attributes of Handel's style. I mean, it's really talking about Christ coming, right? It's not technically a Christmas hymn, but we sing it anyway, and that's okay.

All right. Let's find another good one. Oh, here. I don't know if this is true or not, but if it is, it's interesting, because a lot of us have heard some of the backstory of Silent Night. So this question's

Oh, I just gave the answer away, didn't I? Okay. Well, anyway, I just gave away the answer. Good job. So anyway, this trivia says, it grieves me to disprove a charming and well-loved Christmas story, but there was actually nothing wrong with the organ of the parish church of Opendorf, Austria, on the Christmas Eve of 1818, when this beloved carol was hastily composed.

The singing of a folk-like song with guitar accompaniment was a long-standing tradition. Which carol am I talking about? Silent Night. Okay. I goofed. So it's fine. So here. This carol originated among American Lutherans in the late 19th century and has frequently and incorrectly been called Luther's cradle hymn.

Ironically, this misattribution to Luther seems to have originated with the carol's creators. It is believed to have begun as a recited poem from a Christmas play presented by a Lutheran church group, to which music was later added.

Which is it? Anybody? It's A Way in a Manger. A Way in a Manger. It's funny. It says it's believed that this was begun as a recited poem from a Christmas play presented by a Lutheran church group, and I don't know how many of you participated in Christmas plays as children, or how many of you have children who are doing Christmas plays in their church?

Do they still do that in churches? Anyway, I vividly remember being in Christmas plays when I was a kid, and in a Lutheran church, actually. I grew up Lutheran. I remember that my Cabbage Patch doll was chosen to be Baby Jesus one year, and that was very excited.

I also remember that when I was young, I could not get all of the lyrics to A Way in a Manger correct, and I used to say, instead of the cattle are lowing, the cattom a-mowing. I don't know what that means, but the cattom were mowing.

I also remember one year in the Christmas play that somebody tattled on somebody else. It was not me. I was not the tattler or the tattley, that instead of singing till morning is nigh, one boy was singing till morning is night.

I remember one child saying, so-and-so is singing till morning is night. It's okay. It's okay if your kids don't get the words quite right. It's okay. Let's see. I'm trying to find another interesting one here.

Here's one. This carol originated in Germany around the 15th century. It uses the imagery of nature to describe Christ springing as a flower or branch from the rod of Jesse during the cold of winter, according to the prophecy of Isaiah.

The melody has been arranged by many composers, but it's usually performed in the setting by the German 16th century composer, Michael Praetorius. Anybody know this one? It is low, how a rose e 'er blooming.

There's one that we don't often hear. So the rest of this says, this beautiful carol originated in the 15th or 16th century and refers to the prophecy of Isaiah from chapter 11, verse one, and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The Jesse tree tracing the lineage of Christ was a popular subject of medieval art in which it was usually depicted as a rose tree. This may explain how the first line of the carol in English came to be low, how a rose e 'er blooming since the original German seems to have been, es ist ein Reis entsprungen, low how a branch has sprung, which more accurately recalls Isaiah's words.

But the rose image is far more poetic, it says. The carol has an amazing 16 verses which recount the entire Christmas narrative from the Annunciation through the Epiphany, although generally only the first two or three are ever performed.

Anyway, I can't vouch for all the facts written here, but it's still fun to guess. Okay, so Christmas carols. So there's some fun trivia for you. So let's talk a bit more about some Christmas carols I like and some I don't.

And we're going to talk about the ones I like and the ones I don't because I am the only one talking. So sorry about that. You have no choice. So here's something interesting. I don't recall if it was last year or the year before or a couple years ago, I have no idea.

But I remember seeing kind of a Twitter storm, like a social media storm one Christmas season where people were going after the song, Mary, Did You Know? And they were so upset because Christians were singing the song or enjoying the song, and this song worships Mary, and you can't do that as a Christian.

Oh, no. Well, okay. First of all, no, we do not worship Mary. We worship Christ. Roman Catholics worship Mary, and that is wrong and blasphemous. She is not to be worshipped. She is a human being, was a human being.

She cannot intercede for you. She needed a Savior, just as you and I do, and we will see that in a moment from the scriptures. But let's consider this song. I'm not saying this is the world's greatest song.

I just want us to be careful that we actually are accurate when we criticize things, and of course, I've made mistakes in that arena, as we all have, which is why we are careful before we speak. Think before we speak.

So, okay, people were going after this. Mary, Did You Know? It worships Mary. What a terrible song. Well, I think it's actually quite a pretty song. I enjoy the tune. I think it's an interesting song to make us think.

So, I have to wonder if these people ever actually listened to the song or looked at the lyrics, or if they just saw the name Mary and decided it was worshiping Mary. So, here are the lyrics. Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered will soon deliver you. Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again, the lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? The sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am.

Okay, tell me how those lyrics worship Mary. Because when I read these, they describe Christ, and pretty accurately, actually. And what I think the song does, and I can't profess to know the composer's, the writer's thoughts when he was writing this, but yeah.

Mary, did you know? Did you realize the comprehensiveness of your child? I mean, I can't even fathom what Mary must have been thinking. But one place where this song doesn't, well, it doesn't necessarily fail, but it ought to make us think.

It ought to make us ponder. Mary, did you know? Did you know these things? Well, she couldn't have known the details about Christ calming the storm and giving sight to a blind man specifically, and necessarily all of these specifics.

But Mary, did you know? Did you know? Well, turn with me to Luke chapter 1. And we'll start in verse 39. Luke chapter 1, verse 39. Just a reminder that I typically read from the New American Standard.

Ladies, there are a couple other good translations out there. The ESV is okay. It keeps changing. Although I think they're finally going to make some changes to the NASB, which I'm not real thrilled about, but nobody asked me.

But the ESV, there's been all these little updates along the way. I have an early ESV, and then I got one a couple years later and was reading it, and I remember thinking, well, that's not what this verse says.

And I went back to my old Bible, and it was just slightly different. Little words were different, and that annoys me. So I like the ESV, but I like some of the original versions of it. It just keeps changing.

So anyway, I read from the NASB. Luke 1, verse 39. Now, at this time, Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

And she cried out with a loud voice and said, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me? Elizabeth knew.

For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy, and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.

Verse 46. And Mary said, my soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For he has had regard for the humble state of his bond slave. For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed.

For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear him. He has done mighty deeds with his army, has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their heart.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel his servant in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

I think Mary knew. Mary had really good theology, and this song of Mary is one of the reasons why I get a little perturbed or annoyed when people denigrate women, when professing Christians denigrate women, because the women of Scripture were educated women.

They knew their Bible. They knew the Lord who they served, and that includes Mary. She knew she needed a Savior. She knew as much as she could comprehend about the baby who was growing inside of her. Did she know all of the specifics?

No, she didn't. But she knew, and I can't even imagine what it would have been like to be her. And so the song Mary Did You Know does not worship Mary. It worships Christ. It discusses Christ. But it asks a question that I think we can answer, yes, Mary knew to an extent, to an extent.

John Calvin has some good words on this passage from Luke. There's a book called Psalms of the Nativity, and this is a selection of sermons of John Calvin on Luke 1 and 2. And so about this passage, he says, at this point, Luke sets down the words of Mary's psalm.

It contains a choice body of teaching for all who know how to apply it. Mary begins by giving thanks and praise to God for the compassion He has shown her. She then confesses that God alone is to be glorified on account of His power, goodness, and wisdom.

Here she speaks in broad terms of the reasons we have for giving God the homage He deserves. By way of conclusion, she relates all this to the visible evidence of redemption, redemption long expected and now made ready by God Himself.

This is the extended theme on which her song ends, following the more general theme of God's praise. Mary begins then this way. My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. It is no formal or meager joy which she expresses.

She is not content to say that she is glad, but that she rejoices and delights in God's unexpected goodness. Not once had she thought she might one day be the mother of God's Son. She was a mere girl, poorly connected and despised by the world.

She had no worth or distinction except her fear of God. That is why she feels such fervor of spirit and is led to magnify the grace which God has bestowed on her beyond every expectation. Note especially why it is she praises God and rejoices in Him.

It is because He is her Savior. Then, too, note the words spirit and soul. The chief sacrifice God asks of us is that we should acknowledge that all good things come from Him and that we should praise Him who is their author.

Note especially why it is she praises God and rejoices in Him. It is because He is her Savior. Mary knew. So, my dear critics, whoever you were a year or two ago lambasting this Psalm because, I don't know, do you not have anything better to do?

I mean, I don't understand. This is when discernment goes bad, people. Use discernment in your discernment so that you don't do something silly. So, anyway, Mary, did you know, not a Psalm that worships Mary, and if you disagree with me, that's perfectly fine.

If you consider me a heretic now, well, I can't help you. So, there you go. That is what I have to say about that. So, Mary, did you know, I say that Psalm is okay. So, what's a Psalm that's not okay?

Nonsensical Christmas Lyrics and the Glory of Christ in Hymnody

And not because it's necessarily heretical. It's just weird. Anybody? I mean, there are a lot of Christmas songs that are strange, if we actually stop and think about it. But the Psalm, do you hear what I hear?

Really? I mean, this Psalm makes no sense. I sometimes wonder what the person was smoking when they wrote it. I don't know who wrote this. Okay, I just Googled who wrote this. Okay, if you hear a dog barking, it is a dog barking outside my window.

If you don't hear a dog barking, I do. That's why I felt like I had to explain it. Okay, let's see what Wikipedia says, because Wikipedia knows all. Do you hear what I hear is a song written in October 1962?

Well, there's a problem. With lyrics by Noel Regni and music by Gloria Shane Baker, the pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regni had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of the Christmas holiday.

It sold tens of millions of copies. Bing Crosby made the song a hit. Well, you know, Bing Crosby can sing anything. It'll be a hit. If Bing Crosby is singing it, then I probably love it, because I love Bing Crosby.

But that does not make these lyrics okay. So, it said, the night wind to the little lamb, do you see what I see? Way up in the sky, little lamb, do you see what I see? A star, a star dancing in the night with a tail as big as a kite.

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear? A song high above the trees, said the shepherd boy to the mighty king. Okay, so the wind is speaking to the lamb, and the lamb is speaking to the shepherd boy.

And then the shepherd boy somehow gets an audience with the mighty king. And then the mighty king acknowledges that there's a child shivering in the cold. And so, to help that, they should bring him silver and gold.

Because, you know, everybody's kept warmer when they're rich. So, this song makes no sense to me at all. I've never actually cared for it. And yet, I don't know that I ever paid attention to the lyrics until I was older.

And then I thought, that song is weird. So, have you ever seen the sketch that Tim Hawkins... Tim Hawkins is a Christian comedian, and he once did a very brief, I don't know, probably two-minute sketch on this song about, Do You Hear What I Hear?

And it's kind of hilarious. It's one of my favorites this time of year. So, if you follow me on social media, you've probably seen it by now. I will link to it at the Equipping Eve site at the blog where we keep the podcast.

I will link to the YouTube clip of Tim Hawkins. You have to watch it. You will laugh, and you will understand why this song is so ridiculous if you don't already. So, enjoy that. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Not a good song. So, you know, it's not really heretical. It just doesn't make any sense. It's nonsensical, which is just as bad. I mean, okay. So, let's talk about another good song. Can we? Please, because that song is so bad.

The Gospel in Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

What about the song, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing? I don't remember if we talked about this last year or not, but this is one of my favorite Christmas songs, because it is so rich with theology. So, so rich.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. Joyful, all ye nations rise. Join the triumph of the skies. With angelic hosts proclaim.

Christ is born in Bethlehem. And on and on it goes. Hail the flesh, the Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. Please this man with man to dwell. Jesus our Emmanuel. Emmanuel means God with us. We talked about that last time.

Please this man with man to dwell. Jesus our Emmanuel. So, I thought I'd look up some facts about Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. And I found some on a church website, but I can't vouch for the church necessarily.

I will link to this article, but just to be clear, I don't know anything about this church. But what they say about Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, I have seen verified elsewhere. So, let's see. This is interesting.

Did you know that the singing of Christmas carols as we now know them was abolished in England by the Puritan Parliament in 1649? Doesn't surprise me. It was under the leadership of the famous Oliver Cromwell that this was done.

As a result of Parliament's ruling, Christmas hymns and carols were scarce between the late 17th and early 18th century in England. Charles Wesley's Hark! The Herald Angels Sing was one of the few written during that period that became popular wherever Christians gathered during Advent.

After Cromwell died in 1658 and the monarchy was soon restored, the former decision to prohibit the singing of Christmas carols was abandoned. Thus, hymns written to honor the birth of Jesus began to appear and have continued to this day.

Wesley's Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is one of the most popular Christmas carols today. It can even be heard in both of the classic films It's a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas. But did you know that the carol is completely different today than originally written?

Did you know that both Wesley's words and tune have been changed? The first line of the hymn originally read, Hark! How all the Welkin reigns! Glory to the King of Kings. Welkin is an old English word that means Vault of Heaven.

In 1753, George Whitefield, a name familiar to most of us, he was a famous English preacher, rewrote the first line into what we currently have as Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Glory to the newborn King.

Despite Whitefield's presumption that angels sing, I'm sure there's somebody somewhere who says we should not sing this song because angels don't sing or angels aren't indicated to sing in the Bible. They do proclaim, holy, holy, holy.

We don't necessarily see them singing. But despite this, the song has remarkable theological accuracy, depth, and richness not often found in carols. I totally agree. And then this article says, Bible students love to point out that nowhere in the Bible does it ever record that angels actually sing.

It doesn't say they don't sing, it just never says they do. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Anyway, if you listen closely to the lyrics, you'll notice that the carol gives a full explanation of the gospel.

We often sing just three verses of the song, but there is a fourth, lesser-known verse that exists. The fourth verse says, 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. But what the song had in rich lyrics, it lacked in melody.

Wesley insisted that this hymn be sung to a slow, somber, and quote-unquote, boring religious tune. It wasn't until the words were paired with a more upbeat melody that it became popular. And so the current tune for this carol was composed by Mendelssohn, who was himself a Messianic Jew, which I actually didn't know.

So that's interesting to me. It's from the second course of a cantata he wrote in 1840, which was originally written to commemorate Johann Gutenberg and the printing press. Mendelssohn warned that his composition was only to be used in a secular manner.

But in 1856, after he and Wesley were both dead, Dr. William Cummings ignored their wishes and put Wesley's lyrics to Mendelssohn's song. So there we go. I'm glad Dr. William Cummings did that because it is a beautiful, beautiful hymn.

And as the article notes, it's rich in theology. So I agree with a lot of what's in this article. And so that's good. I like it. So Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Is that one of your favorites? Because I think it should be.

It's such a lovely hymn. And I'm so glad that the tune changed because, really, a hymn like that sung to a somber and slow tune? No, that's not celebratory at all. Have you ever noticed that there are some people or churches that just, it doesn't matter what song it is, they just turn it into a dirge?

And you're just trying to figure out who died. And you don't know why. You know, it's like Joy to the World becomes the most joyless song ever. And that's not good. You know, because when we gather together to worship the Lord, we are gathering together to worship the Lord.

And we should be thrilled and happy and grateful and praising Him and not just sad and somber. Because now we're in church and we should be serious. We can be serious while praising the Lord with gladness, right?

So I hope that you praise the Lord with gladness. One more hymn that we're going to talk about because it is one of my other favorites. I have a lot of favorite Christmas songs. It's kind of hard to pick one.

I think Hark the Herald Angels Sing might be my favorite, but this is a very close second where it might be tied because I do think that the tune is really pretty. And it's O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. And so, you know, we're all familiar with this hymn.

Advent Longing and the Hope of Christ's Return

Hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times didst give the law and cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny, from depths of hell, thy people save and give them victory o 'er the grave. And on and on it goes. O come, O come, Emmanuel. Come, God with us.

So what's a little backstory on this Christmas carol? Well, this is coming from the book 101 Hymn Stories written by Kenneth Ausbeck. And he says, this hymn finds its origin in the medieval Roman Church of the 12th century and possibly even earlier.

So already people are thinking, oh, we shouldn't sing it. Listen, if it's got truth in it, it's OK to sing it. You're probably saying it is well with my soul. Well, maybe the theology of the person who wrote that is not in line with yours.

But if it's truth, it's OK. It's OK to sing truth. So this began as a series of antiphons, short statements sung at the beginning of the psalm or of the Magnificat at Vespers during the Advent season.

Each greets the Savior with one of the mighty titles ascribed to him, the many titles ascribed to him in scriptures. Emmanuel, Lord of might, rod of Jesse, dayspring, key of David. Key of David. The hauntingly catchy modal melody for this text was originally a plain song or chant, the earliest form of singing in the church.

During the 19th century, there were a number of Anglican ministers and scholars such as John Neale, who developed a keen interest in rediscovering and translating into English many of the ancient Greek, Latin and German hymns.

John Neale did more than any other person to make available the rich heritage of Greek and Latin hymns. So anyway, let's see. Advent, beginning four Sundays before Christmas, is the season of the church year that emphasizes the anticipation of the first coming of Christ to this earth.

His coming as the Messiah was first prophesied in the 6th century BC when the Jews were captive in Babylon. For centuries thereafter, faithful Hebrews looked for their Messiah with great longing and expectation, echoing the prayer that he would come ransom captive Israel.

The tragedy of tragedies, however, is the biblical and historical fact that he did come unto his own to establish a spiritual kingdom of both redeemed Jew and Gentile, but his own received him not. Today, most hymn books use just five of the original statements addressed to the anticipated Messiah.

Verse 1, Emmanuel. Verse 2, Lord of Might, addressed to Almighty Jehovah, the one who first gave the law at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19. Verse 3, Rod of Jesse, is a reference to Isaiah 11 .1. Verse 4, Dayspring, addressed to the Messiah, means literally sun rising.

This prophetic reference was re-echoed by the priest Zacharias in these words upon hearing of Christ's birth in Luke 1. Verse 5, Key of David. This expression is first recorded in Isaiah 22 .22, and the well-known verse from Isaiah 9 .6 confirms the royal authority of Christ, the government shall be upon his shoulders.

And I love this last paragraph, which is not specifically about the psalm, but says, Ausbeck writes, truly our hearts can rejoice with God's people of all ages when we realize that Christ the Messiah did come 2 ,000 years ago and accomplished a perfect redemption for Adam's hopeless race.

Yet we wait with the same urgent expectancy, as did the Israelites of old, for the piercing of the clouds, his second advent, when victory over sin and death will be final. And victory is won, but Christ will come again.

Christ is coming again. And so we celebrate his first advent this time of year, and we celebrate his incarnation so that he could come and live the life that we cannot live, and die the death that we deserve, and rise again, because the sacrifice was acceptable to God the Father.

We celebrate that incarnation, but we also must be waiting expectantly for his return. He came once, and he will come again. His first coming was prophesied, and everything that was prophesied happened.

His second coming was prophesied, and everything that was prophesied will happen exactly as God has said that it will. So we should not be content to simply celebrate the first advent without an expectant, joyful longing for his return.

So let's include that in our Christmas celebration this year. All right, ladies, I hope you enjoyed our walk through some Christmas carols. It's a Christmas carol equipping Eve. Ladies, have a joyful, restful Christmas season of praises and focuses on our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am grateful to the Lord for this platform. I am thankful for you, my listeners. I truly am. Thank you. You are a gift that God has given me. I don't know why, but he has been good. And so I thank you for that.