Rejoice

The proliferation of Christmas music in November has become something of a meme.

I haven’t been keeping track of it on a spreadsheet, or anything like that.

But according to my memory, every year by Thanksgiving I’ve heard someone say, “They’re already playing Christmas music at _____________.”

… at WalMart, at the Radio Station, at the Dentist’s office…somewhere!

And while the general sentiment is usually the memetic equivalent of an eyeroll, it does reflect something important.

Christmas only comes once per year.

When Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas makes its first annual appearance, you notice it because it’s been 10 months since you’ve last heard it.

You roll your eyes because you realize that you are about to hear it twice per day for the next eight weeks.

But then it disappears again until some brave radio programmer decides, “sure, let’s roll out Christmas music a week early this year…”

Music has been part of the warp and woof of human society for a very long time.

Genesis 4 tells us that someone named Jubal was “the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.”

Jubal was the 7th generation of humans on earth. Adam and Eve were his great, great, great, great grandparents.

It’s my understanding that as the “father” of music, Jubal likely invented the first musical instruments.

What they did prior to that? I don’t know.

But at least since Jubal people have been either celebrating to music or rolling their eyes because, “he’s not playing that one again, is he?”

Sir Charles Leonard Woolley (1880 – 1960) led an archaeological excavation at the Biblically famous town called Ur (where Abraham was from) in 1922.

Among the things he found there was an immaculately preserved harp-like instrument which has become known as the “Bull Headed Lyre of Ur”.

It’s a lyre with a giant head of a bull. Go figure.

But it is also an incredibly beautiful work of craftsmanship, as well as perhaps the oldest stringed instrument ever found.

All of which tells us something, at least, about the importance of music in human life throughout millenia.

When Jacob flees his uncle Laban’s ranch - which was also somewhere in ancient Babylonian lands - Laban complains that he didn’t get a chance to “send him away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre.”

The tambourine is another name for the “timbrel”, which is what some translations use, or “tabret” which is what the King James Version uses. Same thing.

You’ll find the timbrel being played a lot in Scripture.

There is some evidence that the “flute” or “pipe” was developed in ancient Egypt, so it’s no wonder that after the Israelite exodus from that region, we begin to see that musical instrument become a staple for the worship of Yahweh, our God.

(The organ, by the way, is essentially an entire orchestra of flutes played by a single genius musician… It’s good to have organ music in church!)

On a different note, don’t get thrown off by the ancient “trumpet”. These were usually not used for music.

The trumpet or horn was mostly used as more of an alarm - a signal that it was time to worship, or time to bear arms. But they were not used to produce melodies until Medieval times in Europe.

The first possible mention of the “viol” appears around the time of King David.

I say, “possible” because it’s difficult to know exactly what instrument is being referenced.

The root of the word for “viol” is the Hebrew word for a “jug” or “vase”, which likely describes the instrument’s shape and design.

David himself is famous as a musician and composer. He was even more famous for having greatly amplified (pun intended) the use of music in the Hebrew courts and worship practices. 

1 Chronicles 25 informs us that there were “two hundred fourscore and eight” musicians in his employ.

That’s 200 + 80 + 8 = 288 musicians.

This means it’s always wrong to complain that the music in church is too loud. Just dead wrong. I may be half joking, but only by half.

But then there was the day the music died.

When Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian invaders razed Jerusalem in 586 BC, it was as if someone had pulled the plug on the juke box.

Everyone who was anyone - especially people like artists and musicians who had cultural influence - was dragged off to Babylon where they were not permitted to sing the songs of Zion.

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept. On the willows there we hung up our lyres… ‘How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?’” - Psalm 137

70 years.

That’s how long it took until the Israelites were permitted to return to Jerusalem. 

Imagine the singing that took place after that!

I’m trying to imagine how I’d feel if I had to wait 70 years before hearing Mariah Carey again. (I might not complain.)

I am most thankful that I will not have to wait much longer for “Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o’er the plain…”

Or, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

Or, “O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

I do not want to wait 70 years, 70 months, or even 70 weeks between Christmases. I am ready to sing!

As you come to worship this Christmas Eve, try to hear the music as if you’ve waited 70 years just for this moment to come.

Imagine that you’ve been waiting, and waiting, and waiting…

The Christmas songs for worship are not to be confused with All I Want For Christmas, or the Chipmunk Song, or Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

I can understand rolling your eyes when those abominations reappear each November 13th.

No, when you come to worship on Christmas Eve, you are singing about the pinnacle moment in human history.

Humanity had been waiting for this moment for 70 times 70 years (don’t do the math).

Break forth in song!

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation!

For lo, the days have come to pass by prophets seen of old, 

when down into the circling years came Christ as was foretold. 

His word of peace shall to the earth God’s ancient promise bring, 

and all who take this gift will hear the song the angels sing.

Sing, sing, sing!

Consider it a warm-up for the endless Hallelujah you’ll be enjoying when, after the longest wait of them all, you’ll be singing in God’s heavenly choir.

Merry Christmas everyone!