Life.Church Worship Offers a FREE 9-Day Christmas Devotional

By Timothy Yap Dec 18, 2021 11:19 PM EST

Life.Church Worship is offering a 9-day devotional reading plan for Christmas. You can subscribe to the plan HERE. Each of these readings will provide thought and biblical reflections on the songs taken from their first full-length Christmas album, Gloria.

The ten-song project is available now and offers holiday songs ranging from upbeat praise to deeply worshipful while incorporating a special combination of familiar Christmas songs with worship music. Over the past few years Life.Church Worship has been writing Christmas songs for the church celebrating the birth of Jesus while also tying in their contemporary worship culture, and they knew this was the year to release a full-length album to share the songs and resources while also serving the global Church. Offering an authentic expression of God moving in the lives of the people in the church, whether celebrating victory or acknowledging the brokenness in our lives, each song offers a message of hope. Gloria was recorded live earlier this year at their Edmond Campus.

Here's a sample:

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" was written by Charles Wesley, an English Methodist leader and hymn writer. He wrote over 6,000 hymns, with the goal of teaching sound doctrine to the poor and illiterate. His brother, John Wesley, a famous theologian and the founder of the Methodist movement, said that Charles' hymnal was the best theological book in existence.

Let's take a moment to break down this theologically rich song. As the lyrics progress, we see three things: praise, presence, and promise.

1. Praise

Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled

The first response to the coming of Jesus is praise. Everyone is celebrating, because this means the atonement for mankind has arrived-our Redeemer has come! Jesus single-handedly defeats the power of darkness.

2. Presence

Christ by highest heaven adored

Christ the everlasting Lord

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a virgin's womb

Think about it. Jesus, the Son of God, chose to leave heaven and come to earth for us! He left perfection for the imperfect, to be present with us.

3. Promise

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace

Hail the Son of righteousness

Light and life to all He brings

Risen with healing in His wings

The birth of Jesus was no small thing. It was the fulfillment of a promise awaited for thousands of years-a promise that brings new life and a new start for all who believe. Healing, peace, comfort, and joy all stem from this moment: the birth of our salvation.

My hope is that as you hear this song you will not just hear a nostalgic melody, but you'll join with the angels and all creation in celebrating the gift of Christ's birth. May He fill you with His praise and His presence as you remember the great promise of our God fulfilled through the gift of Jesus Christ.

Reflect