Win a Free Download of Prepare Him Room!

shutterstock_157492289_FotorIn another post I shared the story behind our new Christmas album, Prepare Him Room. Now you can be one of ten people who can win a free digital copy.

Here’s the deal. Leave a comment below telling us your favorite Christmas carol and why in 50 words or less. You can enter three times.

I’ll pick some of the most creative answers as winners and the rest at random. How many random comments I pick depends on how many creative responses I get!

You have until midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 30 to enter. I’ll announce the winners around noon (EST) on Wednesday, October 1. We’ll contact the winners by email with your download code.

And if you don’t win, you can always help support Sovereign Grace Music by getting a copy from Amazon, iTunes, or Bandcamp. You can also order them directly from our online store beginning October 6.

(Image courtesy of Shutterstock)

106 Responses to Win a Free Download of Prepare Him Room!

  1. Tim Hawkins September 29, 2014 at 8:11 AM #

    My favorite Christmas carol is Jingle Bells. That’s because it became the means of uncovering the truth of the Batmobile’s design flaw which enabled the Joker to escape justice at the hands of the pungent Batman and his egg-laying sidekick.

  2. Caitlin L. September 29, 2014 at 8:16 AM #

    I don’t know how creative this is, but I’ll go for it! One of my favorite carols growing up was Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. It’s now on my top list because of the message, but as a small child it held special memories for me.
    I grew up with three older, very musical, sisters. Amy Grant was beloved in our house and our parents loved watching us play music. One of the things we used to do as siblings was sit around the piano and go through the Amy Grant music books while singing and practicing the harmonies. With four sisters, you can imagine the harmonies! One of those books was the early Christmas album and one of those songs we sang a lot was Hark! When I hear it, I not only am moved by the proclamation of God’s message, but all the Christmas memories bubble up and overflow inside my heart!

  3. Stuart September 29, 2014 at 8:22 AM #

    Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. It’s clear gospel proclamation brings me to tears every time.

    • Stuart September 29, 2014 at 8:27 AM #

      p.s. I know the possessive of it is “its”…autocorrect fail.

  4. Nathan September 29, 2014 at 8:25 AM #

    My favorite is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, even though whether the angels actually sang or not is up for debate. It “fleshes out” the incarnation with beautiful text that frequently brings tears to my eyes. “Mild He lays His glory by/Born that man no more may die.” Hallelujah!

  5. Daniel September 29, 2014 at 8:32 AM #

    A few years back, I was a church pianist and worship leader. I would break out “Joy To The World” all year; it’s my favorite Christmas carol, lyrically. Initially, I think some of the church members thought I was just being eccentric. But then I started taking time to explain this.

    I love songs that unfold a broad portrait of the story of redemption, rather than just capturing one small detail well. And while it may not be immediately obvious on first glance, this one does tell the whole story. Yes, it starts with the familiar first verse, proclaiming that “the Lord has come.”

    But look at verse three. “No more let sins and sorrows grow / nor thorns infest the ground / He comes to make His blessings flow / far as the curse is found.” This looks back to the curse. It suggests, through subtle poetry, creation’s longing for the Second Adam who came and broke the curse.

    And verse four is expressed in the present tense, but I understand it as looking to the future, when it shall be fully fulfilled: “He rules the world with truth and grace / And makes the nations prove / The glories of His righteousness / And wonders of His love,”

    I love “Joy To The World” because it’s a song for all seasons.

  6. Daniel September 29, 2014 at 8:34 AM #

    And now, for my comment for the random side of the drawing: Musically, my favorite Christmas carol is “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear.” I love how augmented chords are used to create subtly beautiful counterpoint moments in the harmonies.

  7. carlosgarciaalva September 29, 2014 at 8:37 AM #

    My favorite song is Who Would Have Dreamed. I love the way it tells the coming of our Lord. Unnoticed by many, but with a supreme mission: To save the world. To Him be all the glory!!

  8. Brianna Bedzyk September 29, 2014 at 8:50 AM #

    I don’t know if you include this as a Christmas carol, but Come Thou Long Expected Jesus has to be one of my all time favorites. It’s so rich with biblical truth that it immerses your mind in the gospel and the truth of who Christ is.
    And even besides all that, the melody is simply beautiful!

  9. Josh D September 29, 2014 at 8:50 AM #

    I love “Good Christian Men Rejoice” because it’s happy!

  10. Joe September 29, 2014 at 8:51 AM #

    Lo, Derek’s voice is looming,
    A-bove the pia-no, light.
    Hear in the song the blooming
    Of love for song this night.

    An obscure album made
    That by sweet prov’dence found me
    And made the season bright.

    Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (Derek Webb’s version is how I first heard it)

  11. Steven R. Robertson September 29, 2014 at 8:53 AM #

    Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song that captures a sense of the desperation for Jesus’ coming and the holy awe all around it at the same time.

  12. Andy Lackey September 29, 2014 at 9:01 AM #

    My favorite Christmas song is Gather Round Ye Children Come by Andrew Peterson. It’s my favorite because my 18 year old son who has special needs LOVES it and when he gets upset, I can put it on and it calms him down. We’ve probably listened to it over 1000 times (seriously). Would love to add some new songs to his “playlist”!

  13. Stuart September 29, 2014 at 9:04 AM #

    Lesser known, but Dan and Heidi Goeller’s “We Have Seen His Glory” is musically beautiful and lyrically powerful. I could listen to it on a loop for hours and not get enough of its wonderful gospel message.

  14. Matthew Weston September 29, 2014 at 9:19 AM #

    O Come O Come Emmanuel and Come Thou Long Expected Jesus – both more “advent” hymns than Christmas carols, but just brilliant in pointing us both to Christ’s first and second comings.

  15. Mike Chambers September 29, 2014 at 9:23 AM #

    Who is He in Yonder Stall – It has a clear exposition of the life and work of Christ. It is simple and can be used to teach children the key aspects of the life of Christ. The Enfield band has done an excellent recording of it. The only thing it is missing is verse about Christ’s promised return. Hmmm?

  16. Tammy Schindel September 29, 2014 at 9:25 AM #

    When Love Came Down To Earth. The reminder that I am guilty. The innocent was born to remind me on the other 364 days of the year that He was crushed for me to give me hope.

  17. Tim Sharpe September 29, 2014 at 9:26 AM #

    My juvenile humor one first — I always enjoy I hear a recording of “What Child is This?” because I try to guess what words they’ll use for Verse 2:

    Why lies he in such mean estate
    Where ***** and ***** are feeding?

    Current favorite of this would be Chad Lister, who forsakes the ox and the lamb and the donkey, and just goes with “Where animals are feeding.” Makes me chuckle like an immature middle schooler.

  18. Tammy Schindel September 29, 2014 at 9:41 AM #

    I must admit Who Would Have Dreamed is a new favorite. Listening to it over a dozen times during the pre-release. These words are life impacting “planned from time eternal, moved by holy love” Nothing that I have done. It’s all Jesus.

  19. Kyle Plattner September 29, 2014 at 9:45 AM #

    O come, O come, Emmanuel because of the clarity with which it expresses the long-expected prophetic coming of our Lord. It so beautiful links the cries of Isaiah 7:14 with glorious answer of Matthew 1:23. To God be the Glory.

  20. Kevin Brock September 29, 2014 at 9:54 AM #

    O Come O Come Emmanuel – I love how it moves from quiet longing for the Savior into triumphant rejoicing!

  21. Aryan Kevin Catalan September 29, 2014 at 10:25 AM #

    it is A song about the Newborn kinG, it is an Elegantly Lovely Song. FROM its simplest, it is about THe angEls heRalding this great news about thE infAnt in the manger who wilL eventually be our Mighty Savior. cOme Forth and join in GLoriously wORshipping Yeshua the newborn king.

  22. doulos dm (@doulosdm) September 29, 2014 at 11:53 AM #

    There are way too many favorite Christmas carols, but one of them is definitely “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”.

    It has a simple, singable tune; it masterfully retells the Christmas story; and it reminds us of “tidings of comfort and joy” that Jesus came to bring!

  23. zach kilpatrick September 29, 2014 at 12:03 PM #

    O Come O Come Emmanuel (maybe not a carol though) because it so clearly reminds us that this world is an exile, not our home and a Savior came and will come again. And because it is fun to challenge the accompanists with a hard song to play!

  24. zach kilpatrick September 29, 2014 at 12:05 PM #

    Really any advent hymn. I already said O Come O Come Emmanuel, but I love any song that gives us a chance to use Scripture to remind people that there wasn’t just one coming, but there will be a second!

  25. paschott September 29, 2014 at 12:10 PM #

    Not Christmas, but Advent – O Come, O Come Emmanuel – indicating our yearning for a savior and rejoicing at what He will do. I love the way this song quietly but confidently speaks of our hope and prepares us to celebrate both His birth and His coming.

  26. jpaz September 29, 2014 at 12:18 PM #

    My favorite one is “O Holy Night”. Why? I just can give the lyrics:

    “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
    For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
    Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
    O night divine, O night when Christ was born

    Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
    Let all within us praise His holy name.
    Christ is the Lord! O praise his name forever”

    *

  27. Luke September 29, 2014 at 12:37 PM #

    One of my favorites is “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”. And yes, I also appreciate the irony of calling people to worship with a song that calls for silence.

  28. marcgoodwin14 September 29, 2014 at 12:41 PM #

    My favorite is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” because it does such an excellent job of addressing those who are coming into Christmas with broken and confused hearts, rather than the stereotypical merriness that accompanies the season.

    And in despair I bowed my head
    There is no peace on earth I said
    For hate is strong and mocks the song
    Of peace on earth, goodwill to men…

    Then rang the bells more loud and deep
    God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
    The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
    With peace on earth, goodwill to men

  29. Sandee September 29, 2014 at 1:00 PM #

    Little Drummer Boy – a song that has moved us throughout our childhoods and still moves us as adults. Reminds us how little we have to offer Him except ourselves and our talents, and that all he desires is us, and the simple drumbeat of our hearts turned toward him in worship. Here, beautifully performed by Pentatonix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ_MGWio-vc.

  30. Josh Scott September 29, 2014 at 1:20 PM #

    Joy to the World – Chris Tomlin version. Catchy, incredibly happy, and everyone always loves a mid song key change!

  31. jimpemberton September 29, 2014 at 1:27 PM #

    I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

    Christmas is a time of despair for many people, and rightly fitting with the message of the season, even the gospel itself, we should all despair for our sin save for the gift of Christ. The joy of Christmas should never be taken lightly nor be celebrated without knowledge of the shadow of the cross. And even as the light comes into the hearts of the faithful as the Christ took on flesh and came into the world, so we must give flesh to the gospel and address the ills of the world that flow from the very sin in the hearts of men whereby they would leave this world without hope, and aside from which they will know the joy of salvation afforded by Christ himself.

  32. JoeS September 29, 2014 at 1:49 PM #

    My favorite Christmas Carol has recently become “We Three Kings”. I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the banality of secular Christmas songs and the sentimentality of many Carols. But when I read the actual lyrics of We Three Kings, beyond the first verse and the chorus, I realized it is a beautiful declaration that Jesus is God, He is King, and He is our Sacrifice for sin.

  33. Jeremiah Griffin September 29, 2014 at 3:34 PM #

    The musicality of “What child is this?” This Christmas Carol just has to be seen or heard through the eyes of a musician. The minor key and the lyrics are to set the stage for glorious display mother and holy child. The careful picture is crafted to present the Christ at his most humble moment, our sovereign Lord and saviour, this is “the babe, the son of Mary.”

  34. David Fetrow September 29, 2014 at 3:37 PM #

    O Come, O Come Emmanuel. I think it captures the “already and the not yet” beautifully–singing “Rejoice, Rejoice…” in a minor key.

  35. Liz Willis September 29, 2014 at 4:07 PM #

    Mine’s “O little town of Bethlehem” because I love the wonder it creates – eg. In thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light…how silently the wondrous gift is given…Amazing. The contrasts really help me to worship God for this unspeakably wonderful gift

  36. Eric September 29, 2014 at 4:32 PM #

    Joy to the World. Why? 1. It’s worth being sung year round (although I haven’t done it out of season yet). 2. It’s is the “reason for the season”. What joy we can truly have through Jesus!

  37. Tom Richards September 29, 2014 at 4:33 PM #

    O Holy Night. It (literally) walks us through the Christmas story in a way that warms the heart with hope (v1) faith (v2) and love (v3). By the end it has comforted strugglers with the wonders of the incarnation and boldly spurred us on to live lives of slavery-smashing love.

    (Oops.. have hit the word count. Just wanted to say that your words to this song are good too!)

  38. Tim Cone September 29, 2014 at 4:50 PM #

    My favorite is Oh Come oh Come Emmanuel because it can apply to the 1st and 2nd coming!!

  39. Christy Walk September 29, 2014 at 4:51 PM #

    My favorite Christmas carol is “March of the Three Kings.” I listen to the song frequently but not all the time. Bizet wrote it and I love his original orchestra arrangement

  40. phatb September 29, 2014 at 4:58 PM #

    I realize it’s probably a cop-out to simply paste in epic lyrics, but in serving in a pastoral role, I love singing this with my church family:

    And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
    whose forms are bending low,
    who toil along the climbing way
    with painful steps and slow,
    look now! for glad and golden hours
    come swiftly on the wing.
    O rest beside the weary road,
    and hear the angels sing!

    From “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.”

  41. Bill September 29, 2014 at 4:58 PM #

    My favorite Christmas hymn is ‘Go Tell It On the Mountain.’ It is the first song I have memory of really liking. I can still remember being 8 or 9 years old and thinking, “this is my favorite Christams song.”

  42. Matt September 29, 2014 at 4:59 PM #

    “In the bleak midwinter”.. has a terrible beginning that sounds like a severe weather warning but the second verse soars to these Christological heights:

    Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
    Nor earth sustain;
    Heaven and earth shall flee away
    When He comes to reign:
    In the bleak mid-winter
    A stable-place sufficed
    The Lord God Almighty,
    Jesus Christ.

  43. Scott Davis September 29, 2014 at 5:00 PM #

    “What Child is This, Who, Laid to Rest?”” I love this song because it highlights the deep humility of the Son in the incarnation.

  44. Aaron Gonzalez September 29, 2014 at 5:50 PM #

    Another vote for “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. I am leading our church through Lamentations before Christmas so that we will feel the despair that sin brings before the joy of Jesus’ birth changes everything! We are in mournful exile until Christ appears!

  45. Matthew Shirley September 29, 2014 at 6:08 PM #

    O Come, O Come Emmanuel sounds almost as old as it is, and it captures the heart of “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” But I especially like it because of a dear brother and mentor in seminary who did rejoice even to the end of his suffering. He taught me this song’s origin from seven ancient “O Antiphons” –prayers by Christians in ages past, and the importance of “linking arms” with saints of old. Here is one antiphon (they’re great to read responsively): “O Key of David and Scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one shuts, you shut and no one opens: O come, come unlock our prison chains; free us from darkness and death’s dark shadow.”

  46. Matthew Shirley September 29, 2014 at 6:20 PM #

    “Angels We Have Heard On High” because melismatic music is… ma………aa………aa………agnificent!

  47. Matthew Shirley September 29, 2014 at 6:35 PM #

    “Joy Has Dawned” … because I’m amazed how the wise men really do prophesy the story (v.3). And because I like almost every Getty and Townend song I’ve ever heard. (And I’m writing three entries because I love Sovereign Grace Music too, and especially this new Christmas album). Hooray!

  48. David Sinclair September 29, 2014 at 6:39 PM #

    I love that line in Joy To The World: No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. It reminds me of the scene in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when Edmund sees the Witch’s sled slowing down in the melting snow and flowers beginning to appear because Aslan is on the move. Come Lord Jesus!

  49. David Sinclair September 29, 2014 at 6:41 PM #

    If my first entry doesn’t win, I’ll go with Tim Hawkins!

  50. bekahwentling September 29, 2014 at 7:08 PM #

    “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” The lyrics are great, but man, that minor key makes all of the difference!! You feel that dredging and longing of Israel in that song. It takes you back to Bethlehem and it’s our cry for heaven!

  51. Lily Goodwin September 29, 2014 at 7:43 PM #

    In lengths of time gone by, I searched for my long treasured Christmas carol,
    But as time went by I lost hope and accepted my imminent peril,
    On the tip of my tongue it stayed as I beseeched my lips to remember.
    Though I must be given some grace, come on #ChristmasinSeptember?

    I entreated to sovereigngracemusic.org, as I accepted my defeat,
    What songs were on Prepare Him Room? To know would be sweet,
    I looked and in amazement I saw with my own eyes,
    The song that I was looking for to my delightful surprise.
    The Sovereign Grace cover is one of my churches favourite songs,
    Who could’ve known it was under my nose all along?

    “Glory be to God”, I’ll tell you, in my opinion is the greatest,
    The words so theologically rich, but the tune catchy enough to match the latest,
    The face of God so greatly painted, in his attributes this song proclaims,
    It tells how he emptied himself, though deserving all of the worlds fame,
    As a baby, born with an ordinary name, in a manger to take our shame.
    This song so greatly depicts how Christ Jesus became poor, so we could be rich,
    And this songs quickly reminds us, he even did all of this without a twitch!
    Gladly he came to bear our griefs, cover our disgrace and our sins,
    And that is why, for me, this song wins.

  52. Erika S. September 29, 2014 at 7:53 PM #

    Come they told me
    Pa rum pum pum pum
    That I’d win a free CD
    Pa rum pum pum pum

    …or free download? :) My fave is Little Drummer Boy. It’s a classic, fun and paints a picture of Christ’s birth.

  53. Erika S. September 29, 2014 at 8:01 PM #

    Joy to the World is a top fave. The true gift of Christmas is that Jesus came to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found. 100% Man and 100% God. Amen!

  54. Scott Troxell September 29, 2014 at 8:36 PM #

    “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is one of my favorites. I love how it proclaims the deity of Christ in a contemplative tone, bringing to recognition the true extent of humiliation that our God Christ Jesus went by becoming a man, ultimately to die for us, and then to rise again bodily from the dead.

  55. Ruth September 29, 2014 at 8:40 PM #

    Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne is a carol I have loved since I was a young girl. Like many hymns, there is a powerful message in the lyrics – the gospel is clearly presented. The short chorus is a lovely prayer, “Oh come to my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee.” As I have gotten older the last verse has become more dear to me, looking toward the day when I will join my Jesus in heaven and be reunited with my father, my grandparents and others who have arrived there before me.
    “When the heavens shall ring and the angels sing, at thy coming to victory,
    Let thy voice call me home saying ‘yet, there is room, there is room at My side for thee.”
    My heart shall rejoice Lord Jesus when thou comest and callest for me.”
    The melody soars at the right places with the lyrics that cause the singer’s heart to be lifted up in praise and worship. I find myself singing it all year long.

  56. Tim Hall September 29, 2014 at 11:39 PM #

    Oh Holy Night would have to be my favourite. Why? The way the rich imagery of the words, and the beautiful melody seamlessly intertwine.

  57. Dave Shaw (@StatsDave) September 30, 2014 at 1:44 AM #

    I love “Joy to the World”. Such an appropriate tune for the time of year and a great reminder of Jesus’ second coming as well as his first.

  58. Dave Shaw (@StatsDave) September 30, 2014 at 1:45 AM #

    I also like a lesser known carol: “Thou who was rich beyond all splendour, yet for love’s sake becamest poor”. The words brilliantly remind us of the humility of Christ in coming to earth.

  59. Kate Johnson September 30, 2014 at 3:26 AM #

    “One Small Child” The imagery is beautiful. Its musicality & sing-ability is wonderful for corporate (or private) meditative candle light time of worship. I don’t think it qualifies as a carol, but it is a lovely Christmas song.

  60. Clare Hartlebury September 30, 2014 at 4:23 AM #

    You can’t beat Joy To The World resounding from the organ. Especially at the Midnight Mass or Christmas Day services.

    Alternatively Away In A Manger sung by the children round the crib at the Nativity Service.

  61. Daniel September 30, 2014 at 7:01 AM #

    O Holy Night

    It’s just epic.

  62. Filipe September 30, 2014 at 7:29 AM #

    As Russell Moore once pointed, we sing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” written by Wesley, an arminian, and “Joy to the World”, by Watts, a Calvinist. The Kingdom of God is big enough for both, and for more.

    • Ryan Egan September 30, 2014 at 9:42 AM #

      Don’t forget about Silent Night, written by Franz Gruber, a Catholic, and Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying, by Phillip Nicolai, a Lutheran :-)

  63. Caitlin L. September 30, 2014 at 7:51 AM #

    Missed out on the 50 words or less bit:

    Hark! is my favorite. Amy Grant. Late 80’s.

  64. Aden Sheets September 30, 2014 at 8:05 AM #

    (Red Mountain Church)

    A Favorite Christmas Carol: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent.

    Why: ……….

    I have nothing more to say!

  65. Aden Sheets September 30, 2014 at 8:09 AM #

    (Andrew Peterson)

    Labor of Love

    There in a hole in a ground, there was a manger. It was a filthy hole, a hole full of oozy smells. No Hobbits dwelt here, or would ever want to. There was agony, a foreshadowing of what was to come later on a tree. Blood and tears flowed mingled down onto the straw floor. But amongst the first screams of the newborn, hope had finally breathed it’s first breath as well. This is the True Tall Tale of the Birth of Christ.

  66. Aden Sheets September 30, 2014 at 8:20 AM #

    (Sovereign Grace Music)

    Emmanuel, Emmanuel

    Marx spake of Christ once, distorting His name
    Saying He was a devil called Uelanem
    Buying Souls was the object of his game
    Ev’ry single one of them to hell were damned.

    But He already came: Emmanuel
    Christ, alone, instead offered Salvation for man
    Saved men for worship, from the fires of hell
    Orchestrated by His Holy, Sovereign plan.

    Sing Hallelujah!
    For God is with us now, let it be known!
    As will He always be
    until we at last Worship at His throne!

  67. Kendra September 30, 2014 at 8:37 AM #

    I heard the Bells on Christmas Day. I like how Casting Crowns remade it a few years back. You hear the anguish and the hope.

  68. Kendra September 30, 2014 at 8:41 AM #

    Bring torch Jeannette Isabella. When my family were missionaries in Haiti, my siblings and I did a dramatic sketch to accompany a ladies choir. It included carrying lit candles.

  69. Kendra September 30, 2014 at 8:45 AM #

    It came upon a midnight clear. When I was about 11, some friends and I put together a Christmas Carol event for our families. We weren’t the best of singers, but we had so much fun preparing and sharing. I sang this song as a solo.

  70. Dietmar September 30, 2014 at 9:02 AM #

    O Come, O Come Emmanuel is one of my all time favorites because it’s part of a repertoire of Christmas charols all around the world!

    Greetings from Germany! Gott segne euch – God bless you!

  71. Josh September 30, 2014 at 9:11 AM #

    My favorite is definitely O come, O come, Emmanuel. Rich OT imagery. In a high school program, we four basses sang it as low as we possibly could with the lights turned out, holding candles. It looked and sounded very monkish.

  72. Ryan Egan September 30, 2014 at 9:28 AM #

    Immanuel (from the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable) by Stuart Townend. Fantastic melody, and the structure of the carol works like so many good hymns: through the incarnation and all the way to the second coming. God became man for more than just Christmas, and Stuart paints that picture perfectly.

  73. Nick M. September 30, 2014 at 9:29 AM #

    Joy to the World

    “He come to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.”

    The total reversal of the Fall in Christ’s redemption. It’s that extensive.

  74. Ryan Egan September 30, 2014 at 9:29 AM #

    Rejoice. See above, except change the writer to Todd Twining. :-)

  75. Ryan Egan September 30, 2014 at 9:33 AM #

    Ancient: Savior of the Nations, Come. I’m Lutheran, had to sneak this one in here :-) AND Advent carols don’t get enough love. The haunting and longing melody fits the longing for Jesus to come; it speaks to the incarnation, redemption, longing for Jesus to come again, AND the Trinity.

  76. Dave E. September 30, 2014 at 9:43 AM #

    Used to be O Holy Night until I learned the origins. Still, remains my favorite Christmas hymn written by an atheist and put to song by a Unitarian.

    Now it is O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Love the longing for the Savior expressed.

  77. Pete Valdez September 30, 2014 at 10:25 AM #

    Hark the herald. It’s ‘gospelicious’! When we are despondent, gloomy, listen…”God and Sinners reconciled” I can lose all my earthly gems for this. “Born that man no more may die
. Born to raise the sons of earth
 ” Though it’s written during 1739, its content is forever!

  78. Laurie Wade September 30, 2014 at 10:42 AM #

    Infant Holy, Infant Lowly – I’ve had piano students play this in recitals, always highlighting the lyrics in the program: “Christ the babe is Lord of all”, and “Christ the babe was born for you”. Simple melody and lyrics, profound message!

  79. christine September 30, 2014 at 10:47 AM #

    My favorite Christmas Carol is O Holy Night. I love the minor key and the dissonance and the harmony. Not to mention the lyrics are just plain awesome.

    Now I have a favorite Christmas song, but it’s not a carol because it’s not religious. I LOVE the rendition of 12 Days of Christmas by John Denver and the Muppets. Miss Piggy is absolutely hilarious when she does 5 Golden Rings. I sing it fully with my kids doing all the voices, or attempting them because I can’t “do” voices.

  80. Ashley September 30, 2014 at 11:00 AM #

    I love O Come O Come Emmanuel! Especially with a violin thrown in there…

  81. Mike Chambers September 30, 2014 at 11:18 AM #

    God of God by Enfield is a great Christmas song of the incarnation of God. Here’s a link to it – https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/god-of-god/id483698219 If this doesn’t win, at least I’m putting in a plug for a great worship band!

  82. Jordan Nickell September 30, 2014 at 11:31 AM #

    Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is probably the most gospel-rich carol I know. Loaded with Scriptural references and opportunities for teaching, I could spend hours plumbing the depths of this hymn. Verses 2 and 3 beautifully capture the kenosis theme.

  83. Laurie Wade September 30, 2014 at 11:31 AM #

    I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day – beautiful carol, beautiful story that concludes, “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep! The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goo will to men.'” Hallelujah!

  84. Jordan Nickell September 30, 2014 at 11:31 AM #

    O Come, O Come Emmanuel is my favorite carol for capturing the sense of longing and anticipation that the people of God must have felt before our Savior appeared. Oh, may I never take for granted the blessing of living on this side of the Cross. We have our Savior!

  85. Jen September 30, 2014 at 11:39 AM #

    O Come All Ye Faithful-acapella or with just the piano it is so simple and one that I’ve been singing all my life!

  86. Diego Granja September 30, 2014 at 2:56 PM #

    When I was ten I was preparing myself to sing a medley of carols on a Christmas meeting held in my church in Ecuador (South America). One of the carols in the medley was ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’. It was my first time singing before a great number of people. I was so nervous and the song had already started but I suddenly forgot the lyrics. It was a very embarrassing situation! Since then, I never thought to sing again. However, God is glorified in our weaknesses! And today I enjoy leading people in worship and singing together about the Gospel of the One who saved us! He has given us His grace through His accomplished work on the Cross! Let’s remind us this Gospel: He became a man to fulfill God’s justice in order that we may be made righteousness of God in Him! The Word became flesh!

  87. Ian McCarthy September 30, 2014 at 3:44 PM #

    Hark! the Herald Angels Sing……I love the Christology found in this well-known hymn:
    “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:
    hail, the incarnate Deity,
    pleased as man with man to dwell,
    Jesus, our Emmanuel”
    After the first verse it quickly transitions from sweet-sentimental-carol to a clear proclamation of the gospel. Praise the Lord!

  88. joe September 30, 2014 at 4:49 PM #

    I’m hoping for a random selection.

  89. DSWiebe September 30, 2014 at 4:52 PM #

    “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” It’s Christological, Trinitarian, Doxological, Rooted in history, and has a haunting melody.

  90. John Grubb September 30, 2014 at 4:53 PM #

    I love the third verse of Joy to the World where it reads:

    No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground
    He comes to make his blessing flow far as the curse is found

    The reference to the curse of God and the blessings of His Son blow me away! I wrote a song (of which I will only inflict the beginning and risk the 50 word limit

    He comes to make His blessings flow
    Far as the curse, the curse is found
    His kingdoms come into this world
    and every inch is royal ground

  91. James September 30, 2014 at 4:58 PM #

    Good King Wenceslas. Mainly because Relient K has a version where they sing almost completely in falsetto. Love it.

  92. John Grubb September 30, 2014 at 5:09 PM #

    Of the Father’s love begotten:

    Not technically a Christmas carol – yet when I was a music major at University of Tennessee, Knoxville we would have a massive Christmas program every year (about 3 hours long) with every ensemble and choir participating. It would always close by candle light with the choir singing this acapella. If you google the full lyrics there are two beautiful stanzas about His birth:

    He is found in human fashion, death and sorrow here to know,
    That the race of Adam’s children doomed by law to endless woe,
    May not henceforth die and perish
    In the dreadful gulf below, evermore and evermore!

    O that birth forever blessèd, when the virgin, full of grace,
    By the Holy Ghost conceiving, bare the Savior of our race;
    And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
    First revealed His sacred face, evermore and evermore!

  93. Ben Roberts September 30, 2014 at 5:10 PM #

    ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ is one of my favorites. Its exemplifies the whole point of the creation of man and the redemption of man; to make much of God. To glorify Him in the highest particularly at this point in history in the incarnation of His Son who would by death bring reconciliation or as Hebrews 2 puts it ‘propitiation’. Just the fact of singing Latin together (even though it is just one line) for and to God’s glory is always a joy.

  94. Bill Turner September 30, 2014 at 6:00 PM #

    God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Great song about the peace gained through the birth of Jesus / the gospel.

  95. Michael Duncan September 30, 2014 at 6:09 PM #

    One of my favorites has to be “The Christmas Song.”

    “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”

    It’s a relaxing song and reminds me of home. I have no idea what chestnuts are, but them roasting over an open fire sounds great!

  96. Pete Valdez September 30, 2014 at 8:57 PM #

    When Hark the Herald said Light and life to all He brings
, Ris’n with healing in His wings
. He came, not us who sought Him, to bring healing from our greatest woe, our sin. No Christmas trinkets can ever heal, but only the newborn King to die and live again!

  97. Hannah September 30, 2014 at 9:02 PM #

    “Joy to the World” has always been a favorite. The tune is so celebratory and the lyrics are rich. This song energizes me and makes me love and praise my Savior all the more! I love Christmas music and can be found listening to it all year round. :)

  98. Chris Smith September 30, 2014 at 9:03 PM #

    I love the song “All is Well” by Michael W. Smith – the beautiful and haunting melody hits all the right emotions. I have a vivid memory of listening to the song in the car with my grandfather (who went on to be with the Lord) and just sitting there and soaking it in.

  99. Chris Smith September 30, 2014 at 9:12 PM #

    “What Child is This”

    When we sing this song we always do the refrain that goes:

    Nails, spear shall pierce Him through
    The cross be borne for me and You
    Hail, Hail the Word made flesh
    The babe, the Son of Mary

    I love Christmas carols/songs that look forward to the cross, reminding us that the Son of God came to lay down his life for us.

  100. Jason September 30, 2014 at 9:27 PM #

    My favorite is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”. The tune is beautiful, and the lyrics are full of great theology.

    I also want to mention Matt Redman’s “Light Of The World”, I love how it’s practically a paraphrase of John 1:1-18 and Colossians 1:15-20.

  101. John Grubb September 30, 2014 at 10:40 PM #

    Bryan Duncan put out an excellent Christmas album called “Christmas is Jesus” that included a song called “The form of man” the refrain of which was:

    He wrapped His love in flesh and blood
    And took the form of man

    An allusion to Phillipians 2 and the incarnation!

  102. Caleb Mathews September 30, 2014 at 11:44 PM #

    “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” is absolutely my favorite Christmas song. I love this song’s melody and understanding of the Bible’s grand narrative. People had been waiting for so long for God’s promised deliverer, and this song reminds us that the Savior has come.

  103. David Koh October 1, 2014 at 2:11 AM #

    My favorite has to be “Mary Did You Know?”, written by Mark Lowry. It’s a wonderful song that explores the mystery of the incarnation and throws the shadow of the cross over the manger in a series of beautiful questions

  104. Bill Phillips October 1, 2014 at 9:50 AM #

    The carol / hymn by Charles Wesley, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!” causes my heart to rejoice with every verse. It is saturated with gospel truth from beginning to end. Hardly a word is wasted. It celebrates, not only the miracles of the incarnation, but the miracles of Christ’s Calvary work in our own hearts and even in the world to come. It seems to capture the sweep of the story of God more fully than most any other Christmas song I can think of as it refers to the beginning promise in Genesis 3 and expresses faith in the promises of a redeemed and restored creation in the end times. It even touches on the past and future eternality of the Son of God by calling Him “everlasting Lord” and yet stoops to the immediacy of our present lives by pleading that our depravity be defeated by the sanctifying power of His grace (“Bruise in us the serpent’s head. Now display thy saving power,…” and later, “Adam’s likeness now efface; stamp thine image in its place.”) This song, more than any other that I am privileged to sing in praise of my Savior’s incarnation lifts my heart with gospel truth at every turn.

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