Christmas Isaiah Matthew Revelation Sermons 

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

  Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; Revelation 21:1-4 December 2, 2018 • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear Congregation of Christ: Today, the first Sunday of Advent 2018, we will begin a series of studies on the Scriptural basis for four of the most beautiful Christmas songs churches sing. Most Christmas songs that are popularly sung in churches are narratives like “Once in Royal David’s City,” sentimental like “Silent Night,” and childish folksiness like “Away in a Manger.” But with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” there is hardly any narrative, and no…

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Advent Christmas Christmas Hymns KSYC Program 

The Beautiful Songs of Christmas

  Each Sunday from December 3, 2017 — January 7, 2018, I gave 15-minute meditations on six of the most Biblical — and beautiful — songs of Advent and Christmas. These were aired on KSYC 103.9FM in Siskiyou County, California at 7:45-8:00am on those Sundays. Here are the links to these broadcasts, together with the music. December 3, 2017 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” December 10 “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” December 17 “What Child is This?” December 24 “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” December 31 “Joy to the…

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Advent Christmas Christmas Hymns KSYC Program Sermons 

“We Three Kings of Orient Are”

  Numbers 24:17; Matthew 2:1-7 January 7, 2017 (KSYC) • Download this article (PDF) In the Christian calendar, January 6 marks the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, particularly to the “wise men from the east.” One of the most popular hymns to commemorate this event is “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” a hymn about wise men from the east who traveled to Bethlehem after they saw “his star.” Who hasn’t seen Christmas pageants and nativity scenes where Jesus lay in a manger surrounded by…

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Advent Christmas Christmas Hymns KSYC Program 

“Joy to the World!”

Psalm 98; Luke 2:14 December 31, 2017 (KSYC) • Download this article (PDF) Today is the first Sunday after Christmas. Most people consider the week between Christmas and New Year still as part of the Christmas. So I will continue on our study of the great hymns of Christmas, and how they reference the Bible. Thus far, I have spoken about, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” and “What Child is This?” Today, I have chosen “Joy to the World!”…

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Advent Christmas Christmas Hymns KSYC Program 

“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”

December 24, 2017 (KSYC) • Download this article (PDF) John 3:16; Revelation 5:13 Today is the fourth Sunday of the Advent season and it also happens to be Christmas Eve. This month, I have been expounding on the great songs of Christmas, and how they reference the Bible. The three hymns I’ve explained so far are: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “What Child is This?”, and “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” Today, I’ll dwell on a hymn that has mostly been forgotten by Christian churches, “Of the Father’s Love…

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Advent Christmas Christmas Hymns KSYC Program 

“What Child is This?”

  Isaiah 11:1; Song of Solomon 2:1 December 17, 2017 (KSYC) • Download this article (PDF) Today is the third Sunday of the Advent season. This season, the month of December, I’m preaching on the beautiful songs of Christmas, and how they refer to the Bible. In the last two Sundays, I spoke about the hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” Today, I chose the beautiful Christmas hymn, “What Child is This?” “What Child is This?” is one of the more Biblical modern…

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Advent Christmas Christmas Hymns KSYC Program 

“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”

  Isaiah 11:1; Song of Solomon 2:1 December 10, 2017 (KSYC) Download this article (PDF) This hymn was originally published in Germany in the 1590s by an unknown Roman Catholic hymnwriter. The focus of the hymn was Mary, whom the hymnwriter praises as the “rose of Sharon” in Song of Solomon 2:1, “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”  This is a wrong interpretation of this verse. The Song of Solomon is a song between a husband and wife. Since the Bible is centered on the…

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“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

  December 3, 2017 • KSYC • Download this broadcast (PDF) Today is the first Sunday of the Advent and Christmas season. This season, the month of December, I will preach on the great songs of Christmas, and how they refer to the Bible. I will begin with “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” a 13th century Latin hymn. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is too Scripturally-rich to not be one of the favorite Advent hymns of Christian churches. It addresses the majestic titles of Christ used throughout Scriptures. And although…

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