For the past 23 years, our next-door neighbors, George and Emily, have hosted a Christmas party that we look forward to with much pleasure. One of this party’s features, making it different from most others, is the singing of carols before we sit down to eat.
Children and grown-ups gather around the piano as Emily, a voice teacher, plays and leads us in song. Good singers, along with those of us who can barely carry a tune, join together in festive mood, lifting our voices upwards. This shared experience of music helps form us into a buoyant community for that one evening, at least.
The carols that we sing also introduce us once more to the spirituality expressed by the coming celebration of Christmas. Behind these traditional songs lies frequent mention of the inner gifts associated with the season. The writers and composers knew how to capture the meaning of the Christmas event in ways that can surprise us with their spiritual depth.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” for instance, calls the news about the birth of Jesus “tidings of comfort and joy.” So Christmas, as understood by the composers of this 18th century English carol is a time for receiving the gifts of reassurance and release from unhappiness.
This same carol urges: “Let nothing you affright.” Christmas, in this view, calls on us to cast out fear and live with confidence in the goodness of God. A few lines later, the “blessed angel” of Luke’s Gospel appears bearing the message so often repeated in the Bible: “Fear not.”
In an era when many people feel afraid, this message has new value. Among other people, it might reassure a young girl who recently told me she did not wish to fly in an airplane “for fear of the terrorists.”
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” boasts the lyrics of Charles Wesley and the music of Felix Mendelssohn, two great 19th century figures. Here the theme of peace takes center stage. “Peace on earth and mercy mild,” we sing, echoing the song of the angels in the Nativity narrative.
This Christmas, like most others, takes place in a world torn by conflict. In addition to the armed struggles that dominate the news, dozens of wars are going on in places to which the communications media give little attention. People are at one another’s throats over large issues and small. God’s mercy and God’s peace seem far distant, but the carol assures us of their availability.
“Good King Wenceslaus” is a beloved carol made up of parts from different eras. The title refers to a 10th century Bohemian king who had a reputation for holiness. Nine centuries later, a British poet formed words to go with a song written in the 16th century.
The last two lines of the carol bring out the moral of this composition. “Ye who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing.” Wenceslaus had shown the true spirit of Christmas by providing food and shelter to a poor man on a cold winter’s night.
This note of compassion forms a proper response to the birth of Jesus. Just as God has been generous to the human family by sending his son to earth, the message says, so we must respond in kind by sharing resources with brothers and sisters in need. Without such a response, Christmas would not have its full meaning.
Finally, “Silent Night,” a sweet 19th century Austrian carol that ranks as one of the most beloved, gives expression to the holy tranquility that surrounds the scene at the child’s manger at Bethlehem.
“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright,” words sung slowly and reverently, suggest an inner and outer peace that can refresh the soul. If you want to enter into the spirit of the Christmas event, these sentiments suggest, you must allow yourself to rest in the peaceful atmosphere of the scene.
At the same time, the word “bright” suggests the enlightenment that is the goal of spiritual life. As we contemplate the child sleeping “in heavenly peace,” we can open ourselves to the inner light that illumines the mystery of love.
Many more carols carry messages similar to the ones singled out here. Though usually enjoyed simply for the splendor of their words and music, these traditional songs also speak of the spiritual life. In doing so, they suggest the gifts of the spirit that Christmas richly offers.
Richard Griffin