Holy Trinity Weekly

This Lord’s Day is the Third Sunday of Advent.

Ever since the first Christmas, the birth of Christ has been heralded with singing. Luke in particular draws attention to the songs surrounding the Savior’s birth: Mary, Zacharias, the angels, and even the old man Simeon burst into song at the birth of our Lord. And it is no accident that Christians down through the ages have kept this tradition of singing hymns and psalms and carols celebrating the birth of Jesus. Francis Weiser reminds us that the word “carol” comes from the Greek word _choraulein_ which is a combination of two words _choros_ which means “dance” and _aulein_ which means “to play the flute.” And therefore, in medieval Europe, a carol was a ring dance accompanied with singing.

We also see in the history of the Church that whenever God gives reformation to His people, it is accompanied with a robust reformation of music and singing. The Protestant Reformation itself is a witness to this fact, but other periods attest to this reality as well. And this fact is not unrelated to Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the King, the Lord of all, and the birth of the King must be heralded with joyful carols. It is no accident that reformations are likewise filled with singing because all true reformation is the declaration of the Lordship of Jesus over all. May God be pleased to give us reformation, and as he does, may he be pleased to fill our mouths and hearts with joyful songs of praise.

The sermon text for this Sunday will be from Phil. 4:4-9. Our other lessons for the day will Zeph. 3:14-18 and Luke 3:7-18.