Approaching Christmas, I turned to the “Methodist Hymnal” for hymns that focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. There are 769 hymns in the book, first published in 1779.  How many nativity hymns did I find?  None, if I am not mistaken.  I am amazed that the authors seemingly did not feel that focusing much on the birth of Jesus was the center of the message.  How can this be since we in 2017 hear and sing a lot of Christmas carols?  Our present hymnal has twenty or so.

I believe the answer is that, while the birth of Jesus was hugely important, it is only the beginning of the story of our salvation.  The earth-shaking events were Jesus’ words and His Cross, Resurrection and Ascension.  Hymns embrace those events that shook the earth and opened heaven.  I think that is why there are so few hymns that concentrate on Christ’s birth as an event.

The issue is, did Jesus die so that I can live?  It is possible to be thankful that Jesus appeared as a baby without embracing him as my sin-bearer.

This little meditation should not make singing nativity hymns meaningless, it is good to praise God that Jesus, after years of promise, was born a babe in Bethlehem.  But as we join in the hymn-singing, let us be aware of the entire story – all the way to the Cross, Resurrection and sending the Holy Spirit.