Category: Christmas Hymn

Who Should Come And Worship?

DebbieLynne KespertLeave a comment

Origianally posted December 17, 2017:

The hymn I present today may begin with angels, but it quickly moves to various groups of human beings. Each stanza highlights a unique aspect of doctrine that compels that group (and by extension, all of us) to come and worship.

As Christians, we now have the responsibility of calling people from all walks of life to come and worship. True, only the elect will respond, drawn by the Holy Spirit, but the Lord has decreed that we be His instruments in putting forth the call to salvation. Since God alone knows whom His elect are, we must proclaim the Gospel to all people, just as angels from the realms of glory did.

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A Familiar Christmas Hymn With A Wonderful Surprise

DebbieLynne KespertLeave a comment

Originally published December 10, 2017:


When I first started playing this version of O Come, All Ye Faithful on YouTube, I didn’t really like the sound quality. As my husband will attest, I’m finicky about the hymn videos I post each Sunday.

They must, of course, contain sound doctrine, but they also need to include certain verses, have specific wording, be pleasing to the ear and have good graphics. I also avoid artists that I know represent bad theology (like Hillsong).

I can’t always meet all my criteria. While I never compromise on doctrine or artists, sometimes I settle for boring graphics or slight updates in lyrics. Rarely will I tolerate poor sound quality.

So, as verse 1 played on YouTube, I began moving my mouse cursor up to the “Back” button in order to search for a version I would like better. But before I could reach it, verse 2 startled me. I’d never heard it before.

I love its bold pronouncement of Christ’s deity.  What could possibly get to the heart of Christmas more than an unashamed declaration that God Himself was born in that manger? Listen to this familiar Christmas hymn and enjoy the wonderful surprise of verse 2.

The Incarnation Never Gets Old

DebbieLynne KespertLeave a comment

Originally published December 18, 2016:

I love many of the traditional Christmas hymns, with their bold declarations of the Lord’s Incarnation. Indeed, His Incarnation is one of my favorite doctrines! Those Christmas songs usually contain verses that secular people, presumably embarrassed by the frank theology they convey, omit. Evidently, the moral implications of Christ’s deity bothers them.

But I digress. As much as I love traditional Christmas hymns, occasionally I find a  contemporary Christmas song that focuses on the Lord’s Incarnation. So today, just to do something a little different, I thought I’d feature a contemporary song that still expresses the wonder of God made flesh to dwell among us.

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The Person Christmas Celebrates — Hymn 4

DebbieLynne Kespert1 Comment

Silent Night

O Come, All Ye Faithful

What Child Is This

Angels We Have Heard On High

All these beloved Christmas hymns exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, boldly proclaiming Who He is and why He came. Since my childhood, I’ve cherished each of them, growing more fond of them once I became a Christian. I love these hymns because they celebrate God’s incarnation. All Christians probably love them for the same reason.

Another beloved Christmas hymn stands out to me as perhaps the one that most magnifies Who Jesus Christ is. Its lyrics beautifully portray His glory and His humility. Maybe the other hymns I’ve mentioned do the same, but this hymn strikes a chord with me far more deeply. Over the years, it seems to grow more profound and wonderous in its depiction of the mighty God as the offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Enjoy these powerful lyrics that exalt our precious Lord Who was born to give us second birth. May your Christmas be filled with glory to the newborn King!

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The Person Christmas Celebrates — Hymn 3

DebbieLynne Kespert1 Comment

At this time of year, we generally think of a helpless Infant wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Now, there’s definitely wonder in the truth that God Incarnate came to earth as a Baby, dependent on His mother and her husband for His basic physical care. If that concept hasn’t filled you with awe and amazement at least once in your life, it should!

But Jesus is much more than a Baby in a Bethlehem manger. The shepherds and wise men, while they didn’t understand that this Child was the God Who rules all nature, knew that He was Israel’s promised Messiah. “Christ the Lord,” the angels had told the shepherds.

Our sentimental images of Christ’s birth often cause us to forget His power and majesty as the sovereign Lord Who governs all creation. I therefore encourage you to step back from thoughts about a Baby for a moment, and to meditate on Who this fairest of all Babies truly is. As you think about this Son of God and Son of man, you’ll remember that glory, honor praise and adoration belong — now and evermore — to Him.

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The Person Christmas Celebrates — Hymn 2

DebbieLynne Kespert3 Comments

It’s no accident that my articles on this blog tend to emphasize God’s holiness. Unlike generations before us, present-day Christians care little about fearing the Lord, preferring to see Him as a Butler, a Buddy or (worst of all) a romantic/sexual Partner. Such casual attitudes towards the Creator and Sustainer of the universe very much require a counterbalance. I have no problem helping to provide that counterbalance.

Ah, but I must guard against being unbalanced in the opposite direction!

Providentially, I spent most of last week working through Psalm 103, in which David lists the Lord’s tender qualities. This psalm brings out His beautiful sympathy towards those who fear Him, illustrated by His commitment to completely separate our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west.” Out holy God is also our compassionate Father. Jesus is our sympathetic Friend.

Our sympathetic Friend should be celebrated this Christmas. As we remember Him coming into the world as a Man Who understands our frailties, we rejoice that He is our dearest Friend.

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The Person Christmas Celebrates — Hymn 1

DebbieLynne Kespert1 Comment

I purposefully didn’t watch the Macy’s Thankgiving Day Parade this year (or did the COVID-19 panic cancel it?), but I’m pretty sure it concluded with Santa ushering in the Christmas shopping season. And a society known for thumbing its nose at Christianity suddenly focuses on celebrating a Christless Christmas.

We struggle as Christians to keep our gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ amid pressures to buy everyone the perfect gift, decorate our homes and send cards. Though we sincerely desire to keep our attention on Him, we find ourselves pulled into the secular aspects of the season. It’s hard!

So in these four Sundays before Christmas I’ll post hymns reminding us of Who our Lord is. This week let’s enjoy this beautiful adaptation of Psalm 23 as it describes His function as our Shepherd.

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Isaiah’s Christmas Hymn

DebbieLynne Kespert2 Comments

Strictly speaking, Handel’s Messiah probably isn’t a hymn. Yet he uses Scripture throughout the work, weaving a rich theology that steadily brings attention to Christ. Maybe in that respect we might consider it as a beautiful series of hymns — largely from the Old Testament.

Of course, Handel’s most famous movement in the piece is the Hallelujah Chorus. Indeed, he packed it with marvelous bits of theology about Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. Powerful stuff!

But another movement, taken from Isaiah 9:6, ties Christ’s reign as King of kings and Lord of lords to His birth. While not as fully developed as the Hallelujah Chorus, this movement reminds us that the Son given to us is infinitely more than a Child.

Since I won’t blog again until December 26, I leave you with Isaiah’s Christmas Hymn and wishes for a Merry Christmas from both me and John.

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Life Gets Uncomfortable And Joyless

DebbieLynne Kespert2 Comments

At this time of year, expectations soar. We long for that perfect holiday, when friends and family fulfill all our secret desires, having no needs or wants of their own. Of course, we take it for granted that we and our loved ones will be happy and healthy.  It’s Christmastime, after all, and life should be a living Norman Rockwell painting.

Alas, we often face disappointments throughout the year. Worse, hardships and trials don’t take a break between November 30 and January 2. As a matter of fact, we feel disappointments all the more acutely  this time of year precisely because we cultivate expectations of perfection.

Life gets uncomfortable and joyless at many times of the year. In those bleak times, however, Christ calls us to find our comfort and joy in Him rather than in our circumstances. As we remember the amazing story of His birth and the reason for His first coming, we remember that Christmas isn’t about our temporal desires, but instead about Him. And such realizations bring tidings of comfort and joy.

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Singing Christmas Theology

DebbieLynne Kespert2 Comments

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing has been my favorite Christmas hymn for most of my Christian life. It’s packed full of solid Biblical doctrine ranging from the Incarnation to regeneration, always bringing us back to His glory.

Singing this beloved hymn grows more meaningful each year as I notice new depths of theology in its familiar verses. As a result, I love it even more now than I loved it as a new Christian. I pray that you’ll discover truths about our wonderful Savior every time you sing it too.

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