Love for musical expression is woven into the fabric of humanity. Dr. Mark Futato writes, “Whenever really big events occur in the history of redemption, more often than not, you’ll find music and poetry.” When God delivers Israel through the Red Sea, there is singing and dancing. During the height of King David’s reign, we have music and poetry. When Israel’s Messiah finally appears, the skies are lit up with musical praise extolling the birth of God’s Son.

Music and the Christmas season will forever be linked. Even as the repository of Christmas carols become less and less familiar to younger generations, it amazes me how so much biblical truth is “fair game” when presented through music during the Christmas season. As long as this open door to our culture remains, using the music of Christmas to deliver the gospel to open hearts makes perfect sense.

Every Christmas season is a special time of year at Eden. Not only is the building decorated beautifully, but our church family has unique musical opportunities to proclaim the gospel story in song.

First, the adult and children’s choirs work for about three months toward delivering a Christmas program designed to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. While this event brings great joy to our own church family as the children sing several songs and various musical groups sing, it also provides a great opportunity for local friends and family to hear the truth of Jesus Christ proclaimed through the vehicle of music.

Second, on what typically is a very cold December evening, our church gathers annually for the purpose of singing Christmas carols around our city. We visit several nearby assisted care facilities, as well as the homes of elderly members within our church body. As we sing one carol after another we often see their eyes filling with tears as their hearts are warmed with the reminder of a Savior who was born to save people from sin.

In both of these venues, we sing the well-known invitations “let every heart prepare him room” and, “Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing, Come adore on bended knee Christ the Lord the newborn King” What an opportunity we have to publicly call sinners to repentance through the powerful vehicle of music. Just as the Scriptures adorn the coming of Christ with music and poetry, may God also use us to continually adorn the gospel story as His Church never ceases to "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness and into His glorious light” (1 Peter 2:9).