December 9th, in the Year of our Lord 2022
God's grace haunts us at Christmas. In a world that actively rejects Christ and His law, we all, believers and many unbelievers alike, sing not just about God, or about Grace or Love, but about the sovereign reign of Jesus Christ over all. How did this happen?
Outside of Christmas, Jesus and the Bible—if mentioned at all in America—are twisted to defend "love is love" or some such foolishness. For over a thousand years, Jesus Christ was widely heralded in the West as our true King, by name. Beginning in the late 1800s, something changed. By the 1920s, films and popular culture were scrubbed of the name of Jesus Christ (see Google N-Gram below). All but the most "religious" of films—like "It's a Wonderful Life”—avoid religion. In those rare cases where a religious film is mainstreamed (again, like "It's a Wonderful Life"), it references a generic God. Somehow, even overtly throwback spiritual Hollywood series like "Touched by an Angel" or "Highway to Heaven," or less reverent shows like "God Friended Me," managed to avoid the words "Jesus Christ." The term "Judeo Christian Values" emerged with George Orwell in the 1930s to replace "Christian." As the old Gaither song goes … "there's just something about that name."
We now live in a post-Christian age. But, nothing seems more off limits than the idea that Jesus Christ is the reigning king with authority over this earth and each of us. "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done … ." (Romans 1)
It's easy to believe “Jesus Christ” was never normative nomenclature in our culture, but we have a poor cultural memory. Prior to 1900, Jesus Christ was part of everyday culture and conversation across America and in much of the West. Frequent readers know I use Google N-Gram to ferret out these trends because they index nearly every word in nearly every book published, every year since about 1500. This acts as a historical windsock.
In the N-Gram, notice "Christmas" rises just as Jesus Christ declines in use. I think we can see God's sovereign grace here. As we reject His Son's name, He elevates Christmas to remind us every December who is Lord. Somehow, Christmas has become America's biggest holiday. Unlike other holidays, this one is marked by song. Not just songs, but Christmas carols. These carols are the one type of song nearly everyone in our nation knows, and generally loves.
What are these songs about? Are they primarily about His death and resurrection? No. Are they primarily about his birth? Close, but not really. Because Christmas is about the incarnation of Christ, we celebrate and sing about the birth of a King. The emphasis is on His sovereign authority over every one of us—ringing out over our culture's rebel yell of "identity."
From “The Messiah”: The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, And of His Christ, And of His Christ; And He shall reign for ever and ever … King of kings and Lord of Lords. And He shall reign for ever and ever …
From “Joy to the World”: The Lord is come, Let Earth receive her King… He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove … Let Earth receive her King.
From “We Three Kings”: Born a King on Bethlehem's plain … King for ever, ceasing never, Over us all to reign.
From “O Come All Ye Faithful”: O come and behold him, born the King of Angels … Christ the Lord
From “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”: Glory to the Newborn King … Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies … with angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem.
From “Angels We have Heard on High”: Come adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Gloria, in excelsis Deo [Glory to God in the Highest].
The list goes on! And on!
Kings require submission. More than at any other time, we refuse to be ruled. We vainly attempt to sanctify "choice" to justify murder. "Identity" has become preeminent to cover its "dishonorable passions." We exchange "the truth about God for a lie." We worship and serve "the creature rather than the Creator."
Scripture paints the perfect word picture. We are "filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice … full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness." We "are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." We "know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die" and yet we "not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
Yet, God, in his "divine forbearance" still haunts us with His grace, and a little touch of irony. One month each year, we're reminded that only one King reigns, and it's not us.
Try to escape it! Even as we slouch toward greater rebellion, hating all that our King has given us and demanding our own way, he grants a very particular type of mercy: He teaches us through song. Corporations have tried to commercialize it. Hollywood has trivialized it with Santa Clause films. Others have tried to co-opt it with Hanukkah or Kwanza. We all get caught up in the lights and décor. But the music plays on.
This is an excellent, insightful article. I've noticed people who give their testimony of salvation can speak on and on about God's goodness (which is appropriate) without ever mentioning the Name of our Savior. It would be nice if Jesus was mentioned in books and movies; it would be even better if the church re-created an internal culture where we can earnestly sing "Veiled in flesh the God-head see! Hail the incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel!" on a daily basis.
Thank you Mr. Goodwin, great stuff. I am just getting going on Substack, I would love your thoughts on what I have so far if you have a chance to look. Here's one I wrote on some Christmas hymns: https://codyilardo.substack.com/p/four-ol-christmas-songs