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Series: Carols and Lessons

Christmas carols hold a special place in our hearts during the holiday season. They have a unique ability to evoke nostalgia, joy, and a sense of wonder. However, as we sing the familiar words and hum the familiar tunes, it’s easy to overlook the profound lessons embedded in these songs.

This Advent season, prepare your heart for Christmas with the daily devotional series, Carols and Lessons. Modeled after the traditional service of Carols and Lessons, this daily devotional series matches carols with readings from across the Bible. By uncovering the historical and spiritual context in which they were written, Rev. David Bast introduces us to the carols once again.

Each day, you are invited to sing or listen to a carol and read a lesson to help you prepare your heart for Christmas. You will deepen your appreciation for the familiar songs of Christmas, and engage with the full story of the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation.

With its emphasis on reflection, Carols and Lessons allows us to embrace the joy, hope, and redemption found in the Christmas story. It beckons us to engage not only in the act of singing but also in the act of contemplation, inviting us to ponder the significance of these carols and their lessons in our own lives.

Included with this series is Carols and Lessons for Kids, a 5-lesson series for young families. Organized around the simple act of setting up a nativity scene, Carols and Lessons for Kids helps parents and teachers share the Christmas story with young children. Each lesson includes a simple and familiar carol to sing or share, a Bible passage focused on the Christmas story, a devotional lesson, and suggested activities. Included in the series is a printable nativity scene to color and set up with your children.

Listen along with these playlists:
Carols and Lessons – 25 Days of Carols
Carols and Lessons for Kids – 5 Days of Songs and Resources

Carols and Lessons

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Read: Ephesians 3:14-21 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (v. 17) There is a beautiful story behind this popular carol. Phillips Brooks was one of the most famous

Carols and Lessons

Once in Royal David’s City

Read: Revelation 5 And . . . among the elders I saw a Lamb. (v. 6) On Christmas Eve 1918, a service was held in the chapel of King’s College in the University

Carols and Lessons

Angels, from the Realms of Glory

Read: Luke 1:5-25; Psalm 103:20-22 I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent . . . to bring you this good news. (Luke 1:19) Angels don’t

Carols and Lessons

The First Noel

Read: Luke 1:68-79 To give light to those who sit in darkness. (v. 79) The French word for Christmas is noel; a noel is also a Christmas carol. The first one,

Carols and Lessons

Angels We Have Heard on High

Read: Luke 2:1-14 Glory to God in the highest . . . ! (v. 14) Not surprisingly, angels figure prominently in a lot of Christmas carols. “Angels We Have Heard on High” is

Carols and Lessons

Away in a Manger

Read: Romans 8:18-25, 28-30 Predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. (v. 29) No one really knows who wrote this carol, which began appearing in American hymnals in

Carols and Lessons

What Child Is This?

Read: Mark 4:35-41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (v. 41) One

Carols and Lessons

Let All Mortal Flesh

Read: Isaiah 6:1-6 Let all God’s angels worship him. (Heb. 1:6) With this Christmas hymn we are brought into the worship of the ancient church. “Let All Mortal Flesh” was

Carols and Lessons

We Three Kings

Read: Matthew 2:1-12 And they fell down and worshiped him. (v. 11) The first line of this familiar carol makes three claims about the magi, and of the three only one