For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
The Bible is a book filled with love! It tells us in 1 John 4:7-8 let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that does not love does not know God; for God is love. John 15:12 says This is my commandment that you love one another, as I have loved you. The entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 is about love. I challenge you to memorize it! It tells you everything you need to know about love. My favorite verse is at the end of the chapter, and now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
If God tells us so many times to love, then I can’t think of a better way to show our love than through song!
Hark the Herald Angels Sing is a beautiful Christmas Carol filled with love and adoration! The angels are rejoicing and singing with voices full of praise for the newborn savior! This hymn was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley. Wesley lived in the United Kingdom and was a prolific song writer. He wrote over 6,000 songs in his lifetime. Charles went to school with his brother, John, at Oxford. They collaborated with each other and evidently disagreed with each other on quite a lot of things. But the most important thing is that Charles Wesley wrote 6,000 songs after his conversion. Writing continuously! So much love was poured into his work. I can’t imagine how many pens and how much ink he went through telling people about the love God has shown us!
Away in a Manger is one of my favorite hymns from childhood. It is filled with a simple love, love on the level that a child can understand. No one knows who wrote this beautiful song, some say that Martin Luther wrote it. Others say that it was written in America. It doesn’t matter, what does matter is that was written and published in 1887 for all of the world to enjoy. The simplistic love of a child for the newborn savior lying in a manger. My favorite stanza goes “I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle ‘till morning is nigh.”
Go Tell It On the Mountain is a wonderful spiritual song filled with love and hope. John Wesley Work Jr. loved the spiritual genre of songs and his greatest joy was to preserve and perform spiritual plantation songs. His group, the Jubliee Singers, from Fisk University introduced this fabulous hymn to the nation. First published in 1907, I can just imagine this group of carolers singing it door to door on Christmas Eve. Singing with voices full of love that Jesus Christ was born! I can also marvel at the slaves in the fields singing it with hope and love in their hearts! Jesus was born and brought salvation to the world in the form of a tiny baby. Their voices were heard in heaven!
Christmas Day is almost here. Fill your heart with love as we wait patiently or maybe not so patiently for Jesus. Sing out loud every day! Go Tell it on the Mountain that Jesus Christ is born!