If they haven’t started already, they will soon! Christmas Carols will be on every retail store Muzak, the radio, and TV commercials.
There is something about the “sound” of a Christmas Carol that touches emotions immediately. It has nothing to do with being “pop.” Most popular Christmas Carols were written hundreds of years ago.
Part of the thing that distinguishes a “carol” is its seasonal nature. We don’t talk about them much but there are Advent carols and even Easter carols.
Many of them grew from folk music.
But a key distinguishing element of a carol is this. From the very beginning, carols—as differentiated from hymns—were meant to inspire DANCE!
Has your congregations danced to its Christmas music lately?
Educators in the arts are trained to understand the development of the human mind. Every child is born an artist, a musician, an athlete or dancer. From the time a toddler can grasp a fat crayola, the need to express ourselves is part of our humanity. Every child pumping themselves into the air on a backyard swing while belting out a song of her own invention is a musician. Every boy with a new pair of sneakers knows he is an athlete. Every girl spinning before a full-length mirror is in touch with her inner dancer.
Something happens to the human spirit on the path that leads from kindergarten to college. The need to master math and reading leaves the artist in many of us behind.
Ever notice how most adults who haven’t pursued art in school still draw like a nine-year-old? That’s because that’s about when the American education system stops stressing the arts in favor of academics. Art and music teachers know that this is a critical age for stressing art and music skills. The ear and eye need to be exercised along with the muscles and brains.
There may be a similar atrophy in the Church. We encourage our littlest members to try everything. But as they approach adulthood, the rule books and traditions start to erode interests and abilities rather than building on them or exploring untapped talents.
Preaching? That’s the realm of theologians. Male thinkers only, some still argue.
Music? We have a music director and organist, thank you. You can join the choir, if you like.
Instrumental Music? Well, as we said, we have an organist.
Design? We buy templates from the national church.
Dance? We’re not sure God would approve.
Leadership? What do we pay the preacher for?
Service? There’s a list of ways you can serve on the back of the bulletin.
Prayer? Just read the one from the worship book.
Poetry? You can’t improve on the Psalms.
Pretty soon you have a church where people come, sit in the pew, praise the leaders for their talents and go home.
After a while, they just stay home.
Perhaps one approach to reversing religious apathy is to discover the artist in each of us. We are what we can become. Only God knows our limits.
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Redeemer’s Prayer
We were all once strangers, the weakest, the outcasts, until someone came to our defense, included us, empowered us, reconciled us (1 Cor. 2; Eph. 2).
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On Isaiah 30:15b
Be calm. Wait. Wait. Commit your cause to God. He will make it succeed. Look for Him a little at a time. Wait. Wait. But since this waiting seems long to the flesh and appears like death, the flesh always wavers. But keep faith. Patience will overcome wickedness.
—Martin Luther
If they haven’t started already, they will soon! Christmas Carols will be on every retail store Muzak, the radio, and TV commercials.