Sermon - Christmas Program Service 2025 - Psalm 98

Concert of Angels and Nativity from Isenheim Altarpiece, Matthias Grunewald, 1515

Christians Sing

1. We sing because of God’s actions

2. We sing as a collective whole

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” From young to old, with voices and instruments, we have made a joyful noise to the Lord, we have broken forth into joyous song! It’s that time of year when everyone is singing, not just here at church, but all over the place. You go to the grocery store and listen to some Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby or Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. You go to music recitals or Christmas concerts for little kids admiring their enthusiasm. You go to Christmas at Bethany or CSP or another university and admire the stunning beauty of the sounds hitting your ears.  Of course in church we sing more than usual as well, such as we just did today and will do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this week.

However, have you ever wondered or asked the question: why is everybody singing right now? According to Andy Williams he’s singing because “It’s the holiday season.” Okay, so what? There’s holidays all year long and we’re not singing at those times of year. So why are people singing right now? The world doesn’t actually know why it’s singing, so it sings about fictional wintery characters and cold temperatures and snow and chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

It’s kind of funny when you think about it, but the world is singing and doesn’t even know why it’s singing. “Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together.” The sea is just a bunch of water, water doesn’t think, and yet it roars. The rivers are just a bunch of water winding around rocks and sand, water, rocks, and sand don’t think, but the rivers still clap. The hills are just made of soil and rocks and trees, and yet wind howls through them and they sing. All of the nations of the earth, even though they may reject their Creator and worship demons, without truly knowing why they still sing.

All the pagans and the water and the rocks make joyful noises and know not why, but you do. “Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” We sing to the Lord because the Lord has done marvelous things! God has acted and we rejoice! 

At this time of year we’re not singing because of some fun fictional stories or because of roasted nuts, but because according to His steadfast love God has become man in the person of Jesus for our salvation! “You will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus.” Into the womb of the blessed virgin Mary God entered into His kingly hall and put on our human flesh. There, in her womb, God left His heavenly glory and descended unto our lowly level. In so doing, God has sanctified every womb and every life, by making our life His own. Every trouble and trial of life is now known to Him with utmost intimacy as He dwells with us in the flesh.

“She gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Your God wasn’t just born in the flesh, but He was born in a barn, born into astounding poverty. Wrapped in cloths and laid in a feeding trough, He reminds us that He has come not to be served but to serve, and nourish His people as the bread of life that comes down from heaven. He has come as our Savior who offers up His own body to be the sacrifice for sin and to make His people whole. From the lowly manger to the uplifted cross, He has come as our Savior, into our flesh, knowing our sins and our woes, to rescue us from every evil of sin and woe.

At God’s tremendous step from heaven to earth the world couldn’t help but sing! The angels appear before shepherds and lift up their voices: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” The shepherds ran to the manger, like the apostles ran to the empty tomb, and they lifted up their voices “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.” Some time later magi from the East travelled great distances so that they could come before the Christ child, where they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy…and they fell and worshiped Him.” The Lord came to be our Savior in the holy babe of Bethlehem and the heavens and the earth bursts forth into song!

This response of song is nothing new because it’s the distinct response God’s people have always had when He delivered them from evil. Think back to the crossing of the Red Sea and the defeat of Pharaoh’s army, God’s greatest act of deliverance in the Old Testament. What do God’s people do? They sing! “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!” At the end of Moses’ life, before the Israelites entered the promised land, God instructed Moses: “Write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.” In order that Israel may remember the works of the Lord and worship Him always, they were taught to sing. From the Song of Miriam and the Song of Moses to Mary’s Magnificat and Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis, God’s people burst forth into song in response to what God has done.

This song continues today among God’s people, as we follow the admonition of Paul: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We Christians continue to sing without end for all of God’s marvelous works! 

Pay attention to this! We sing together. The songs of Miriam, Moses, Mary, Zecheriah, Simeon are not their individual songs, but they are the church’s songs. We join the saints of old and the angels in heaven, and our voices blend into one as we unite with all the earth and all creation in singing God’s praises. 

Too often we see music as merely performative and something to be consumed. We go to concerts just to listen to other people perform music, we listen to the radio as something to just consume passively; it’s just entertainment in that way. But among us christians the song is not a performance, and it’s not even primarily our personal song, but it is the church’s song. When we sing we are joining in together with angels, and archangels, and all the company of heaven, we are singing with the saints of old and the saints who will come when we are the saints of old. 

For that reason the radio has really destroyed our sense of music and what it means to join in song. When you listen to the radio, or you go to a concert, you’re listening to a well-polished piece of music sung by some of the most talented and well-practiced musicians, and try as you might you’ll never sound quite like them. But the church’s song, God’s praises, are not something meant only to be sung by the most talented musicians, but by all the saints! The Psalmist tells us to make a joyful noise to the Lord, he doesn’t say anything about pitch, tone, rhythm, or musicality, he just says to make a joyful noise! If you only have one good note because you’re tone deaf, then make sure you’re using that one good note! Do as the hymn says: “O rejoice ye Christians loudly!” 

All sorrow and sadness, all death and loneliness, are put to the grave with the coming of Christ! Your sins are cast away in His most holy blood! The altar is the manger from which we feast upon the Lamb of God! The sadness of this evil age isn't ignored by Him, but in love He resolves every dilemma from the cross! He dwells among you as Your brother, and His angels accompany Him as they carry you to the Father’s side in paradise! Death itself is cured in the holy wounds of Christ, and from the manger the hope of new life is found. “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!”