By Jack Alvey | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

A few nights ago I found myself tossing and turning wondering if I’d ever fall asleep. I don’t think I was particularly worried about anything. If I had to guess, I would say I was filled with energy and excitement that this season has the potential to bring.

Anyway, I stumbled across a version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” that I had never heard before (on Facebook). This version of the song was produced by a band that I had seen in concert called The Civil Wars. I clicked on the link to listen to the hymn and almost immediately a calm overwhelmed me, and I was able to fall asleep.

While no expert on the subject, I have always had a profound appreciation for hymnody. Hymns, especially ones where the tune matches the gravity of the text, seem to transport me to place of calm and peace. I feel deeply connected to God and his peace that surpasses all understanding. In a way that nothing else can, hymns have the power to center me in the face of the many changes and chances of this life.

Not only do the hymns take me to a place where I feel at peace with God but also to a place where I feel more connected with the human family. My heart is softened and is able to be more compassionate and understanding of a broken and sinful world. Even more, I am easier on myself and am freed to live and treat my neighbor as a beloved child of God.

On Christmas Eve, we will gather to worship and we will sing lots of hymns. At St. Paul’s, we will devote a portion of the service to the singing of and listening to hymns. During the pageant, we will join in singing God’s praises with our youth and children. Again, during Holy Communion, we will sing Christmas hymns as we approach the altar and partake in the life of the One whose birth we celebrate this season.

I invite you to be fully present in the singing and listening to of these hymns. Like the Angel Gabriel says to Mary, “Do not be afraid.” Don’t worry about how you sound. Don’t worry if you sing off key–I know I will! Simply sing using the joy you find in receiving the greatest news of all — the birth of a Savior.

Sing boldly in the knowledge that these songs do have the power to soften your heart and change the world as you know it. Sing boldly because these are the songs that announce with joy the peace found in the birth of the One who came to save us from sin and death. These are the songs that have the power to take us to the land of light and life where we discover again we are beloved children of God.

These are the songs that have the power to take us to a manger in Bethlehem where we remember that God saved the world through the birth of a child, the birth of God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.