The Postmillennial Nature of Christmas Carols

There is no possible way to make these carols fit into a future eschaton. Instead, what guided Christmas carols are the sure promise that Christ is making all things new in our present history.

Dec 26, 2023

Have you noticed the optimistic nature of Christmas hymns? They are abundant in virtually every story-telling of carols. They are absorbed into the very fabric of Christmastide hymnody. To sing Christmas is to sing an eschatology of victory.

A few examples will suffice:

The famous Isaac Watts’s “Joy to the World” says:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow,
Far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove,
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

R.J. Rushdoony commented on this hymn when he wrote:

“The Christian religion is a faith of ultimate victory, where the very gates of hell cannot prevail against Christ and His chosen people (Matt. 16:18).”

What makes the postmillennial hope so distinct is that it views the gospelization of the world in history as a central feature of its eschatology. It does not believe in an utterly spiritualized Church whose voice only speaks to internalized religion.

Watts argues that nations are tested by the “wonders of his love.” Where the Gospel of Christ goes, people are tested in their loyalty. As C.S. Lewis so aptly describes: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.”

Another great optimistic hymn is: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” which says:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace On Earth, Good Will To Man.

Again, the language of a prevailing peace on all the earth is crucial for a postmillennial eschatology. These hymns do not merely predict a post-parousia peace at the end of history but an advental peace that brings about peace on earth in time and history.

Or, hear the language of Isaiah 11 in that famous hymn: “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” where the final verse boldly rejoices:

For lo, the days are hast’ning on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of Gold,
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendor fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Before the language of “postmillennial” came as a systematic category, the phrase “age of Gold” was used as a descriptor of a victorious eschatology in history. The carols spoke of a time in this world when the glory of the Lord would cover the seas.

Similarly, “Hark! the Harold Angels Sing” also joins in with the testimony of melodies to the Kingship of Christ:

Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With angelic host proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

The tidings of great joy are not good feelings during the Christmas Season; the tidings of great joy are comfort and salvation to the nations. This is what animated these hymn writers as they echoed the biblical message.

The Incarnation did not bring a spiritualized peace–-though it is included–-but rather a physical and cosmic peace far as the curse is found, a peace that is revealed as the world receives the incarnate Christ.

And this is what exhorts us to sing loudly and confidently the words of the incarnation.

“Give ye heed to what we say: Jesus Christ is born today…calls you one and calls you all to gain His everlasting hall.”

Book Review: Bill Bennett’s “The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas”

There are too many unknown facts, as Bill Bennett rightly asserts. Much of the historical data is purely speculative except for a few references, poems, and prayers in honor of Saint Nicholas. The Roman Catholic tradition has largely exorcised ol’ St. Nicholas from the Church, while the Eastern Orthodox tradition continues celebrating his life every December 6th.

Bennett provides a pleasant read filled with fantastical stories and a delightful context to the Bishop of Myra. At the very least, the records seem to concur with the general assessment that the Saint Nicholas that existed in the days of Constantine (yes, he most likely slapped Arius!) was indeed filled with generosity and abounding love for all sorts of people.

The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas

Bennett illustrates that Saint Nicholas, the Bishop, had become commercialized only a few centuries after his death. The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well in those days. Manipulative men used the life of Saint Nicholas to sell and attract business. This commercialization is no different than the Americanized Santa Claus (invented much later in the 20th century).

At the same time, it is essential to note that abuses are always prone to happen, and simply doing away with the figure to avoid the tough questions is no way to handle the matter. Instead, there is a legitimate way to use the history of Saint Nicholas and its subsequent re-adaptation– with all its colors and jolly-ness in the North Pole Santa Claus– to draw us and our children’s attention to those rare gifts and virtues of the Christian faith.

Bill Bennett connects the modern Santa Claus with the faithful Bishop who suffered and lived for the sake of His Lord. The connection provides us with a healthy knowledge of the origins of this delightfully rotund figure loved by many whose history is frequently forgotten. The book offered a portrait of an ancient figure whose life was dedicated to giving gifts and relieving the suffering of many. For this reason alone, Saint Nicholas is to be celebrated and remembered.

Notations

In my old podcast, I offered a ten-minute overview answering the question: “Does Christmas Have a Pagan Origin?”
Steve Wilkins writes in his helpful article:
Observing Christmas as a season helps us to move beyond the sentimentalism that has become so much a part of “Christmas” and commemorate the true significance of Jesus’ birth. It enables us to see that Jesus’ coming truly transforms all things. It marked the end of the old world (under the dominion of sin and death) and the beginning of the new. And it reminds us of our new identity and purpose. We are now children of the King and are called to rejoice and give thanks and show the world the new destiny that now has come in Him. To celebrate for twelve days (as opposed to one) enables us to realize afresh the significance of what happened in Bethlehem and it declares to the world the remarkable reality that Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil and established a kingdom that shall have no end.
Nuntium
We had a very full Christmas Eve with a massively festive worship in the morning, concluding with a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in the evening. Our Session took our annual Christmas picture:
We woke up this morning and opened our stocking gifts. It’s hard to fathom the dozens of hours my wife spent putting everything together. We will open a specific set of themed gifts for the next eleven days. Afterward, we enjoyed Christmas with our old neighbors. They have stayed in our lives for over 14 years and have shown a beautiful generosity towards our children. Though they are in their 70s, they are always kind to join us and spend all morning together catching up and telling old stories. The brunch was spectacular, joining the skills of my wife and oldest son.