What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?
Christmas Special
Hosts:
J. Kent Edwards
Vicki Hitzges
Nathan Norman
Narrator: Brian French
The CrossTalk Podcast is a production of CrossTalk Global, equipping biblical communicators, so every culture hears God’s voice. To find out more, or to support the work of this ministry please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org
Produced by Nathan James Norman/Untold Podcast Production
© 2024 CrossTalk Global
Brian: If music be the food of life, play on. William Shakespeare wrote those words all the way back in 1601. He understood that music moves our hearts unlike anything else. Even further back, King David wrote, my heart, O God, is steadfast. My heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music in Psalm 57. During this Christmas season, we're taking a break from our normal format and discussing some of our favorite Christmas songs and how they've influenced us. Welcome to crosstalk, a Christian podcast whose goal is for us to encourage each other to not only increase our knowledge of the Bible, but but to take the next step beyond information into transformation. Our goal is to bring the Bible to life, into all our lives. I'm Brian French. Today join Dr. Kent Edwards, Vicki Hitchkiss, and Nathan Norman as they look at a meaningful Christmas song.
Nathan: When this episode releases, it will be the third day of Christmas. I actually enjoy Christmastide. That's Christmas and the 11 days after Christmas. That's where we get the 12 days of Christmas from. Because most of my responsibilities and stressors have subsided and I can enjoy the lights and the music of the season. It is just a perfect time of the season for me to calm down, relax, and actually enjoy Christmas. So I actually like this time of the season. And so this is where I get most of my Christmas music listening to. So we still have a little bit of the season left, even though Christmas has passed the day, but we still have the season. And so I figured we would talk about some of our favorite songs and the meaning that they have to us in this short episode. So, Kent and Vicki, it's been said that no other holiday has inspired more beautiful music than Christmas. What is a meaningful song to you from this season?
Kent: One of my favorites is that song Mary did. You'd know.
Vicki: Oh, you win. We can close shot now. That is the most beautiful song.
Kent: As we were getting ready for Christmas season in our house, my wife and I were decorating the house. That song came on. You know, we had Christmas favorites playlist going and that came on and seriously, it moved me to tears. Like, it just. It's not only the emotion of the song, but just the truth of it, you know. Mary, did you know? Well, the short answer is yes.
Vicki: But I wonder. I mean, she, Nathan and I talked this week and we were talking about what an amazing concept that God came to earth as a baby. And we hear it, we believe it, we know it, but it's easy to get jaded to it because, you know, we hear it, we see, we know But God came to earth as a baby and Mary was its mother. And, and how much did she know? I mean, she came to him and said, turn this into wine. So she, she knew he could do miracles, but he had never done it before. I mean, you know, what all. What all did she think? What all did she suppose what.
Kent: And I mean, I fully agree, but think of the humiliation, the humility of Jesus, the Lord of the universe.
Vicki: The Lord of the universe, the one.
Kent: Who stood at the edge of creation and said, let there be light. And for him to come into what he created, climb in the cardboard box and become a baby, like powerless, needy. The humiliation of Jesus, the humbleness, the meekness of him is, is breathtaking. But for this song, what gets me is Mary knew that this was God. I mean, in Luke chapter one, Gabriel said to Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. So intellectually she knew. But what gets me about this song is when the question keeps asking the question, you know, Mary, did you know that the child that you delivered will soon deliver you? Mary, do you know that when you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God?
Vicki: You kiss the face of God?
Kent: Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? We did a podcast on Luke, Chapter one, Zechariah and Mary, and the different responses each of those people had to the announcement of Gabriel and the children that God was giving them. But when I hear that song, I think it makes me think that through the years, Mary continued to plumb the depths of what had happened, the significance, the privilege that was hers. It's obvious in the Bible that her life was not easy. Joseph was gone. We don't know what happened to him. She was possibly a single mother. And we know that insults were said of her all her life because the baby came before nine months had passed after her marriage date. Her life was not easy, but I think the honor, the magnitude that God had bestowed upon her, I think it probably grew until the day she passed. I can't imagine a greater blessing. And I guess what I like about that song is it makes me feel that truth. So I feel the benefit that we have knowing that God, God came as a baby for us. If we're going to be Christlike, it seems to me that that kind of humility and self sacrifice needs to be seen in us. Yeah.
Nathan: Amen. And it's the time of year where on social media, the theologians come in and dog on that song and say, oh, no, she knew, she knew. And, you know, I'm wise enough not to tread into those. But it's like this. It's a song, first of all. So don't dissect it like a systematic theology treaties. Because what you just said, you feel this. You feel it, right? So mission accomplished.
Kent: That's what songs do.
Nathan: It's emotion, right? Systematic theologies. Not too many tears staining the pages of those books.
Kent: Well, I had to read some late at night to get ready for an exam. And those were tears, too. Just different kind.
Nathan: Right? So you have that. But. But there's different but. So to talk to my theological. Theologically minded, systematic theology friends, it's like, okay, but there's different kinds of knowledge, both in the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament, the Greek text. There is a knowledge of, yeah, I know something, right? Like, I. Like I know my friend Lars Walker. He's an author, he's a writer. I've evaluated some of his books, I've produced some of his stories, and we interact online and through email and everything. But I actually haven't met him in person. Right. So to meet him in person is to know him on an even deeper level. And now if we went to the same church together and we served together, now I know him even more, Right. There's a deepening of an intimacy level. And so did Mary know on a surface level, all of this stuff? Yes, absolutely. But it is one thing to read about it, to hear about it, to understand, yes, this will happen, and another to experience it. Right. You ask any woman who's gone through labor pains, right? Oh, you know she's pregnant. Oh, you know this is going to hurt. Yes, I know this is going to hurt. But experiencing the labor and the joy after that child is born, you can't. You can intellectually understand it, but unless you're in the moment, I know. No clue. No clue whatsoever. So, yeah, that's always my pushback to the people who like to dog on the song, which is mammoth this time of year. It's like, it's the wrong genre that you're analyzing this. And also, what kind of knowledge are we talking about? Experiential knowledge. There we are.
Kent: And come on, let's be honest. Are you really meditating on God's word that you're such an expert on, or are you just memorizing it? Is it touching your heart as well as your head? I mean, come on, let it go deeper.
Nathan: Yeah, good. Deal. Vicki, what do you have? What is a song that's been meaningful to you? I'm really interested to hear what your answer is. I'm a little afraid, actually.
Vicki: I didn't pick it because I think, oh, good, they're playing this song. Because I don't think that. And I remember being 20 and thinking, Boy, I don't like Christmas music. That was a while ago. But I don't think that I was thinking about that today when I was walking. I thought, I don't feel that way so much anymore. But I think it's because there's so many other things I don't like. It just kind of got crapped before I started back there.
Kent: The brutal honesty of Christmas.
Nathan: Yeah.
Vicki: But my dad, Haddon Robinson, did a first person sermon on Christmas from the point of view of Joseph. And he pointed out that when the angel came to Mary, the angel appeared to Mary. But when the angel came to Joseph, the angel came in a dream. And so he said he could never be sure. Was it just a dream or was it real? And so he had to choose faith. And we always have to choose faith. But he quoted somewhere in there, he quoted, away in a manger the cattle are lowing the baby awakes but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes he said he cried.
Kent: I think every baby does.
Vicki: And that's good news version. But I always think about my dad when I hear that. But he cried. But you know, it's a real baby that came. This was a real baby. In a. Just as far as Christmas songs, not religious songs, but I used to hear the song have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, verse three, it says, through the years we all will be together if the fates allow. And I'd be with my family, who I just adored, and I'd think, I wonder how long God will allow this. And now my parents are both gone and my brother's family's all spread out. And it's a touching song to me because through the years, we're not all together anymore. And anyway, that's my downer thought for Chris. Enjoy Christmas together while you can.
Kent: Amen.
Vicki: Yeah. And be grateful for it. And have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Nathan: Well, it is interesting because a lot of the Christmas songs, both the more religiously minded and the fun ones or the nostalgic ones, there's a lot of longing in those. And I think that is a good response. I heard someone this past week, I can't remember who said it, but they said the song I'll Be Home for.
Vicki: Christmas, I was gonna do that one too. Yeah, go ahead, Go ahead.
Nathan: It is the perfect Advent song because Advent is the season before Christmas where we are prepared to. We're getting our hearts prepared to look forward to celebrating Christmas.
Kent: Good point.
Nathan: And it's also the time where we are. Just as the ancient people were looking forward to the coming Messiah, we too are also longing for the second coming of the Messiah, his second Advent, if you will. And. And it's a perfect song because in that song, I'll be home for Christmas. And then at the end of it, it says, if only in my dreams there is such a longing. Right? And. And I think that's. That's something that in 21st century American culture, even in the Christian church, we try to like, oh, let's celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. But they're. There's a lot to celebrate, and we should celebrate, but there's also a lot to long for, right? Israel was looking for the Messiah and celebrate when he comes. And he's come and our sins are forgiven. But the kingdom is here right now, but it's still coming. And so there's still a lot to long for. So to kind of bridge that over to here. My favorite Christmas song for a while has been O Come, O come Emmanuel.
Kent: Oh, yeah.
Nathan: And it has that same longing. One of the lyrics. Oh, come thou key of David Come and open wide our heavenly home make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to the O Israel. Just that. That song and the way the music plays, right. The lyrics don't do it justice. The way the song plays. It just calls for longing long.
Vicki: It's almost a dirge.
Kent: It is.
Nathan: And we feel that, yes, Jesus has come. Yes, I know I have salvation. But, yeah, there's a lot of miserable things right now, and we need Jesus. And then continuing with that thought process, there was a group, this company, Christian company, put out this, like, heavy metal Christmas album, and it's actually quite good. And this group called For Today, which I'm not very familiar with, they. They sang the traditional song, but then, of course, they had their added lyrics and everything, just like Chris Tomlin does. If. If the. The worship people can do it, so can the heavy metal guys. But they added this one line which I thought was just phenomenal. Oh, come, Emmanuel. With power and righteousness. Because we were lost dead in our selfish ways. But now is the time to come. So tonight we sing Rejoice, Rejoice, Immanuel. Yeah. There is a longing that we have for Jesus. And you guys have heard me probably say this privately and my church has heard me say this ad nauseam, but I'll keep saying it. There's a shift within Christianity and I think you can track it over the last 50 to 60 years where Christians, Christians, not non Christians, are fearful of Jesus second coming. You talk about Jesus coming back and people are terrified, and that is a work of the devil. However, it came about because our greatest hope is that King Jesus will come and make things right. Now, if you're not in Christ, it is the worst day of your life. But Jesus coming is our blessed hope. And I think that song O Come, O Come Emmanuel, even with the dirge, it speaks to that, even within the minor key that it's played in. So it feels like, oh, there's an intensity, but there is a hope that comes through it. Like, yes, he is going to come. And I keep referring to Jesus second coming, a second Christmas. So I'm hoping that catches on. It's second Christmas because Christians are so terrified of Jesus coming back. I want to say it's second Christmas so that we can at least psychologically start saying, oh, it's a good thing. Oh, yes, Come Lord Jesus, come is a good prayer for a believer to want that longing that all things will be made new.
Kent: We know he's coming because he came.
Nathan: Amen.
Brian: Music can move the deepest part of our souls. If you have a favorite Christmas song or hymn, be sure to share it with us on social media. The crosstalk Podcast is a production of crosstalk Global, equipping biblical communicators to so every culture hears God's voice. To find out more or to support the work of this ministry, please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org. we have a new cohort beginning in Salina, Kansas in 2025. If you want to be part of this revolutionary educational experience, check the show notes for more information. Students can participate in the program to receive biblical communication skills, and there's also an option to earn an MA Degree in Biblical Communication. You can also support this show by sharing it on social media and telling your friends. Tune in next Friday as we take a look at hope as we prepare to enter the new year. You won't want to miss it.
Nathan: The other morning while I was getting breakfast ready for the kids, I was singing, grandma got run over by the rain by reindeer. And my son was horrified, just horrified. He was like, what are you singing? And I'm like, are you kidding me? I haven't. You haven't heard this song before and he's like, no, I've never heard this song before. And so I played it and he was just, at first he was like, I can't believe this. And I mean in this song grandma dies.
Kent: I know.
Nathan: Like she's, she's dead. And I guess they've made a movie and a redux on and everything. So then my daughter gets up and he's like, sissy, listen to this dad, play it again. And so now the gallows humor has come in like this is amazing, you know, And I'm just like, I can't. You are 10 years old and I have not introduced you to this song.
Kent: Well, we have the other extremes. So my kids, especially Jonathan, hates that song. And I say it's not Christmas. I'm like grandma gets run over. Come on, we're going to listen to it.