The idea for this blog arose from two strands coming together. The first is my love of traditional Christmas carols, which I’ve had since childhood. As an adult I’ve delighted in researching the mysterious and at times surprising histories of various carols (check out The Hymns and Carols of Christmas; it has almost every carol imaginable). But more than that I’ve enjoyed delving into the lyrics and the poetic ways they express the meaning of Christmas.
The second strand is the tradition of a Carol Sing, held every Christmas at New Church Westville. Each carol sing begins with a short worship service. I’ve had the privilege of leading this service the past three years, and each time I’ve been able to illustrate spiritual principles with the words of various Christmas hymns. These talks are the basis of the first few posts.
This blog is an attempt to share with others some of what I love about these ancient songs, along with the timeless New Church truths that they can be used to illustrate.
New Church Christmas Carols 