Today is “Discernment in Music” (DiM) day here at Faithful Stewardship (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)).

For the next few weeks, we will take a break from the top-20 lists and focus on Holiday music. As it turns out, there are a lot of bad “Christmas” songs out there, the world cranks out its versions a lot faster and with a lot better production. There are some good ones and I want to focus on those. What makes a good Christmas song? The focus of the song must be Jesus Christ. In fact, a good Christmas song hold meaning and significance all year. A Christmas song becomes a holiday song when singing it outside of the “Christmas season” rings hallow, like “O Christmas Tree” or “Jingle Bells”… those songs are about the holiday, not the Holy One. Today’s song is “Oh What a Glorious Night” by Sidewalk Prophets. This song popped up as I was looking for the Linus clip for yesterday’s post, and I was so excited to hear a good Christmas song that I knew we should share it today.

Music Videos

Lyrics (via K-Love)

Silent Night

Silent night holy night
All is calm all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace X2

Silent night holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia
Christ the Savior is born X2

O come O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive hearts that fell
Bring peace on Earth and love’s goodwill
For everyone

For You so loved the world You gave
Your life for us to heal and save
We see the echoes of Your grace
For everyone

Silent night holy night
Son of God love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord at Thy birth X3

The song “Silent Night” has always felt a bit weak to me because it seemed to make the night of Christ’s birth the night of our Salvation. While the birth of Jesus Christ is indeed important and does fulfill prophecy, there was more to His plan and work than simply being born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, the City of David. He came to give His life as payment to ransom us from sin and death. The insertion of the third and fourth stanzas goes a long way to completing the thought of this song, and I absolutely love it. This Silent Night was the dawn of redeeming Grace, for He walked, talked, fulfilled the Law, and then laid down His life for us. He was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven and will return again. The day of His return, however, will be anything but silent.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)

The Coming of the Lord

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

To God be the glory, Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge