Planning the music for Advent worship services presents a unique and joyful challenge. While the Christmas season is synonymous with beloved carols and songs, curating a worship experience that resonates deeply and prepares hearts for the celebration of Christ’s birth requires thoughtful consideration. This guide explores a strategic approach to incorporating Christmas Worship Songs into your Advent services, ensuring a blend of tradition and contemporary relevance that enhances your congregation’s worship experience.
The Pastor’s Perspective: A Foundational Conversation
Before diving into song selection, initiating a conversation with your pastor is paramount. Pastoral preferences regarding music during Advent can vary significantly. Some pastors may embrace Christmas carols throughout the entire season, while others prefer a more restrained approach, reserving Christmas music for a limited number of services closer to Christmas Day. Understanding your pastor’s vision is not just about seeking approval; it’s about aligning your musical selections with the overarching message and theme of the Advent season as envisioned by the pastoral leadership.
For new staff members, this conversation is especially crucial. Even seasoned music directors benefit from an annual check-in. Your pastor may be developing an Advent sermon series that he wishes to complement musically. Open communication ensures that your worship planning is both supportive of the pastoral vision and enriched by their insights. This collaborative approach lays a solid foundation for meaningful and impactful Advent services.
Weaving Together Seasonal and Non-Seasonal Songs
A balanced approach to Advent worship music often involves integrating both seasonal and non-seasonal congregational songs. Many worship leaders naturally consider the broader musical landscape of the year when planning. Questions such as “How many new songs should we introduce?” and “How can we strategically utilize our existing song repertoire throughout the year?” are common considerations.
Maintaining a presence of non-seasonal hymns and worship songs during Advent, alongside christmas worship songs, offers several advantages. Firstly, if you are introducing new congregational songs, a month-long hiatus during December can disrupt momentum. Reintroducing these songs in January might feel like starting from scratch. Advent services should ideally maintain the ongoing musical conversation with your congregation, ensuring that new songs remain familiar and engaging as the new year begins. Just as balance is key throughout the year, maintaining a blend of familiar and newer songs in December ensures continued musical growth and engagement.
Secondly, the Advent season provides a unique lens through which to experience familiar non-seasonal worship songs. Many contemporary worship songs possess lyrical depth that resonates powerfully with the themes of Advent. Consider Chris Tomlin’s “Jesus Messiah.” The opening line, “He became sin who knew no sin that we might become His righteousness,” transcends the nativity narrative, prompting reflection on the profound purpose of Christ’s arrival. Themes of Emmanuel and Light of the World within the song further amplify its Advent relevance, connecting the Christmas story to the broader scope of salvation history.
Paul Baloche’s “Behold Him” beautifully encapsulates the life and ministry of Christ, from eternity past to the resurrection. The verse, “He who heard humanity’s cry left His throne to wake as a Child; He became like the least of us. Behold Him,” is particularly poignant during Advent. Juxtaposing this song with a traditional carol like “O Come, All Ye Faithful” creates a powerful moment, directing the congregation’s focus firmly on Jesus. Similarly, the Getty–Townend hymn “In Christ Alone,” with its second verse, “In Christ alone, who took on flesh; fullness of God in helpless Babe,” beautifully complements carols like “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly,” enriching the thematic depth of an Advent service.
The Power of New Christmas Worship Songs
Embrace the inclusion of new congregational christmas worship songs in your Advent services. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of numerous accessible and theologically rich Christmas worship songs that can inject fresh vitality into your worship. Phil Wickham, for instance, has contributed several impactful congregational Christmas songs. Songs like “Manger Throne” and “Behold” have proven to deeply engage congregations, offering new expressions of worship during the Christmas season.
When introducing new christmas worship songs, repetition is key. Integrating them multiple times throughout Advent allows for familiarity and deeper engagement. Consider introducing a new song initially as a choir piece, allowing the choir to teach it to the congregation before full congregational singing. It’s important to remember that every cherished Christmas carol was once new. By embracing new songs that celebrate the Savior and His arrival, we continue to expand our worship vocabulary and offer fresh avenues for expressing our adoration. Similarly, exploring new arrangements of familiar Christmas carols can breathe new life into timeless melodies and lyrics, offering a renewed perspective on beloved traditions.
Planning Advent worship music is a rewarding endeavor. By thoughtfully considering your pastor’s vision, balancing seasonal and non-seasonal songs, and embracing the richness of both traditional carols and new christmas worship songs, you can create Advent services that are both meaningful and musically enriching for your congregation.
[Insert image of sheet music or a church choir singing Christmas carols here]
