The First Christmas Carol

Title: “The First Christmas Carol” Scripture: Lk. 2:14

Type: Christmas Where: GNBC 12-5-21

Intro: I love the Christmas Season in part because I love singing Christmas Carols. Christmas Carols are ta unique genre of song. According to Classic Radio FM Digital, the Top 10 greatest Christmas Carols of all time are ranked as: 10 – Mass. Pastor Edmund Sears’ “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” 9- Following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Rector Phillips Brooks wrote the text to this hymn after he was inspired by the view of Bethlehem from the hills of Palestine wrote: “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” 8 – 16th Century Coventry Carol which dates back to the 16th cent. and commemorates the Massacres of the Innocents. 7- “O Come O Come Emmanuel” was translated from the Latin into English in 1861. 6 – “O Come All Ye Faithful” has a mysterious origin with either Portugal’s King King John IV or Francis Wade being credited. 5- “Hark the Herald Angels” had the twin genius of Charles Wesley lyrics and Mendelssohn’s tune. 4 & 3– “IN the Bleak Mid Winter” – Depending upon which version. Harold Darke or Gustav Holst. 2. “Silent Night” Originally written in German, ‘Stille Nacht’ was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber with lyrics by Joseph Mohr, and was translated to English in 1859. During the Christmas truce of 1914 during World War I, the carol was sung simultaneously by English and German troops. 1. “O Holy Night” - Placide Cappeau, a wine seller from southern France, was asked by the local parish priest to write a festive poem in 1847 to celebrate the church organ’s renovation. Cappeau felt it should be accompanied by music, so approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams. Adams’ text reflects on the birth of Jesus and of humanity’s redemption. Christmas Carols are wonderful. Today, I want to take time to examine the very first Christmas Carol ever sung.

Prop: Today I want to explore 4 Thoughts in Relation to the First Christmas Carol Ever Sung.

BG: 1. Examine one verse. Very familiar part of the Christmas story. Is the song the Angelic Choir sang.

2. Often at Christmas we are made to wonder at the angels’ appearance. No less a man than Charles Spurgeon said: ‘It is superstitious to worship angels; yet is proper to love them. Although it would be a high sin against Heaven’s Court to pay the slightest adoration to an angel, it would be unkind and unseemly, if we did not love them. When we consider their character and their acts of kindness towards man, we cannot help but love them. When we consider this one incident in history, it is enough to weld our hearts to them forever.”

3. What was that event? The singing of the first Christmas Carol!

Prop: Let’s Explore 4 Thoughts in Relation to the first Christmas Carol Ever Sung.

I. Prepatory (Instructive) Thoughts

A. Consider the Instructive Thoughts of this Brief Song.

1. It’s Brevity is in Part it’s Beauty.

a. V. 14 – Depending on your version, it should be about 17 words. Not a lot of lyrics to consider. Yet, how powerful were the words sung to announce the Savior’s birth!

b. Illust: On Nov. 19, 1863, 2 speeches were given to dedicate the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA, on the site where 4.5 months previously the deadliest battle in American history had taken place. Edward Everett, the famed orator and former Harvard College president spoke for over 2 hours. President Abraham Lincoln was the other. Lincoln was suffering the early stages of Smallpox, and spoke less than 275 in under 2.5 minutes. Yet, no one remembers Everett’s speech, and Lincoln’s used to be a required memorization for HS graduation. Although was brief, was a thing of beauty.

2. The Angels Sang About Something Men Could Understand.

a. The angels were singing about Jesus who was born in a manger. This is the foundation. They sang of Christ. They sang of the salvation which He came to bring to the world.

b. The Psalmist asked the question : “If the Lord marks iniquity, who should stand?”(Ps. 130) This query is obviously rhetorical. The only answer, indeed the obvious answer is no one.The question is stated in a conditional form. It merely considers the dire consequences that follow if the Lord marks iniquity. We breathe a sigh of relief saying, “Thank heavens the Lord does not mark iniquity!” How or why is that the case? Without Christ’s incarnation it does not happen.

B. The Angel’s Carol Spoke Three Important Truths About Salvation.

1. The First Important Truth: This Salvation Gave Glory to God.

a. First, this song of salvation gave glory to God. They sang at the creation. Job 38:6-7 tells us: “On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” Undoubtedly they saw God’s creation of many a planet. They had sung solemn songs over the world Jehovah had created. Certainly we know that they had often chanted: “Blessing and honor and glory and majesty and power and dominion, and might be unto Him that sitteth on the throne” (Rev. 5:13; Rev. 7:12). Maybe every time they saw God create another object, hang another star or planet in place, their song received another note, a higher note of praise. But dear one, when they saw Jesus Christ, the 2nd Member of the Trinity, stoop from His eternal heavenly throne to become a bae to initiate the salvation of man they reached the pinnacle of the scale of praise and they sang: “Glory to God in the highest!”