Christmas Carols and the Praise of God’s Lamb and Plan

In December, the time comes to sing Christmas carols about Jesus birth and I have a few favorites, Away in a Manager and Silent Night. When my son was young, I sang these two as lullabies to him to lull him to sleep. Most of the time he relaxed and fell quickly asleep.

But is that the only reason to sing Christmas carols? What do these carols tell us about Christmas and who is the protagonist of the story?

In answer to the last question first, the carols record parts of Jesus Christ’s historical birth and His purpose for coming to earth as a baby. In singing the Christmas carols I love, I can mediate on the miraculous and meaningful actions in His coming and arriving as a human baby. In that birth, He gives us a look at His purpose by His identifying with the temple lambs.

First, let us review the main points we discussed last time and add more facts to fuel your praise for God’s plan.

In the prior post, we discussed the miracles of our Savior’s birth, including the location in a lambing cave, the bed used for examining the lambs, and the swaddling cloths of Jesus which the shepherds applied to perfect lambs.

Now, besides the previous information, let us look at other recorded information about the glorious birth of the Son of God. In traveling to the location of Bethlehem, the City of David, Mary and Joseph confirmed they were both descendants of David, though in different generational trees. See, Matthew 1 for Joseph’s family tree and Luke 1 for Mary’s tree. This return to their ancestral home was required by Caesar and brought them to Judea when all the housing was completely full.

As recorded in Luke 2:1-5, an edict came to force this travel to Bethlehem. Upon arrival in town, the only location available was a cave where lambs were born. The prophet Micah predicted the Savior’s birth in Micah 5:6, which says, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (NASB) In this choice of “hotel room” God identifies His Son as the Perfect Lamb to come, His only Begotten Son. (John 3:16)

After Jesus’ birth, Mary laid Jesus in a trough. The shepherds possibly used this trough for food or water for adult ewes, or to shelter newborn lambs. Also, this “bed” enabled the shepherd to examine the lamb for any impurities.

If under examination the lamb was perfect or whole, the shepherd swaddled the newborn in cloths to protect the lamb from injury and to maintain its body heat during the cold Judean Spring nights. Mary swaddled Jesus to protect and keep warm her Son, but God intended those wrappings to speak of Jesus’ perfection and the future once for all sacrifice for all sin.

This birth, divinely planned, occurred during the lambing season. Further, Jesus’ birth occurred during the time shepherds were in the fields with the flocks, from April to October of each year. During the Spring shepherds guarded their flocks, assisted the ewes in giving birth, inspecting the flocks, and swaddling the unblemished lambs.

Additional comparisons in the lamb’s life cycle to Jesus’ life culminate in similar sacrificial deaths. The priest’s continuous offering of lambs did not end the animal sacrifices. A continual need arises with each sin committed. Whereas, when Christ died on the cross, His one sacrifice covered all sins for all time, any sins I committed or will commit. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial offering of His life occurred at the very hour the priests slaughtered the Passover lambs.

… when Christ died on the cross, His one sacrifice covered all sins for all time…”

After Jesus’ sacrificial death, and before the burial, Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples swaddled Jesus in cloths because He was a pure and unblemished sacrifice. Jesus’ perfection enabled Him to carry away my sins and deliver from bondage to the god of this world, the enemy of Almighty God.

At the end of three nights and days, Jesus Christ rose victorious over sin and death; He shed the cloths and left them behind in the tomb. Once Jesus completed the perfect offering, He no longer needed the cloths; He proved He was perfect in His resurrection, which guaranteed His victorious and finished mission to buy back humanity out of the chains of sin..

In this resurrection from death, Jesus paid the whole penalty for my every sin. God no longer remembers any sin of mine, past, present, or future. When the Father sees me, He sees Christ’s righteousness covering me. Therefore, Christ’s sacrifice freed my soul from slavery to sin.

Now, when I confess my sin with a contrite spirit, He renews my relationship with Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. This excites praise in my heart like that recorded in Rev 5:9-10 offered by the 24 elders.

And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

¹⁰ You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” (NASB)

I sing with the elders and am filled with gratitude and praise, for the Amazing Son of God and the Father of all Creation look favorably on me. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, I am set free to serve You alone!

You may have a question about receiving this freedom from sin. To receive the grace offered by God, first there are several things that you must believe:

1. That you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and freedom.
2. Jesus Christ is the one and only way for forgiveness of your sin.
3. Jesus Christ is God and Man.
4. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again with victory over sin.

Second, you need to confess your sins to God and ask for His forgiveness.

Acts 16:31 states, “They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

If you have prayed this to the Father, He forgives you and adopts you into His family, freeing you from your tie to sin. This does not mean we don’t sin any longer, but that we can continually approach Him for forgiveness, turning 180 degrees from our previous actions and following the path He has laid out for us. Ephesians 6:10, states, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

If you decide to pray and accept the Lord’s forgiveness, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will take up residence inside of you. You will be part of God’s family, and I encourage you to read the gospel of John to discover more of who Jesus is and to find a Bible preaching church where you hear God’s word taught so you grow in your new faith.

If you have made this decision, please let me know in the comment box below.

Until next time, Maranatha,

S.D.G., Soli Deo Gloria