Christmas is an all-encompassing season. The sights, the smells, the flavors, and especially the songs. As children, we become familiar with the Christmas songs of old as we hear them played on the radio and in stores, attend concerts and church services. As believers, we celebrate the season by singing Christmas carols, or more specifically, Christmas hymns. While many modern Christmas songs have been written for the church, few have had the staying power of the Christmas hymns. Their familiar melodies and strong lyrics stir our hearts to the hope of the gospel represented in Christ’s first coming as the infant Jesus.

As modern hymn-writers have strived to continue the practice of singing “a new song” to the Lord (Ps. 96:1) and to produce rich lyrics and melodies for the modern church, the occasional modern Christmas hymn has emerged, one of which is the tune, “Sing We The Song Of Emmanuel”. Like many familiar Christmas hymns, this tune walks us through the story of the advent of Christ: celebrating the long-awaited Emmanuel, worshiping Emmanuel, and telling others the good news of Emmanuel. This is the message of Christmas, the challenge for all believers.

The lyrics “sing we” alone have great meaning. First, the implication that we are singing. To sing is to declare. To sing is to resonate. To remember, to comfort, to celebrate. There is great power in singing. Second, the implication that we are singing. The church, gathered together, is sharing in testimony, admonishing each other with the words of the song (Col. 3:16). We share in the challenge and hold each other accountable to live out the truths we collectively proclaim. As the song continues, it is filled with more collective, plural language, further describing how we as a family and body are to celebrate the coming of Emmanuel, God with us.

As we sing this modern Christmas hymn in our worship services this December, I pray that its familiar message would take on a fresh meaning for us. That perhaps a new way to sing the Christmas story would draw our hearts to worship and response, and that we would be challenged and encouraged as we sing truth together.

Sing We The Song Of Emmanuel

Sing we the song of Emmanuel

This the Christ who was long foretold

Lo in the shadows of Bethlehem

Promise of dawn now our eyes behold

God Most High in a manger laid

Lift your voices and now proclaim

Great and glorious Love has come to us

Join now with the hosts of heaven

Come we to welcome Emmanuel

King who came with no crown or throne

Helpless He lay the Invincible

Maker of Mary now Mary’s son

O what wisdom to save us all

Shepherds sages before Him fall

Grace and majesty what humility

Come on bended knee adore Him

Go spread the news of Emmanuel

Joy and peace for the weary heart

Lift up your heads for your King has come

Sing for the Light overwhelms the dark

Glory shining for all to see

Hope alive let the gospel ring

God has made a way He will have the praise

Tell the world His name is Jesus

Gloria Gloria

CCLI Song # 7078042
Keith Getty | Matt Boswell | Matt Papa | Stuart Townend
© 2015 Getty Music Hymns and Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.), Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.), Love Your Enemies Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.), Messenger Hymns (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.), Townend Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

Looking for some music to enrich your personal worship throughout the week? Check our Calvary Worship Favorites playlist on Spotify. It’s an assortment of songs that we sing on the regular during our Sunday worship services.

If you want to get a taste of what we’ll be singing on any upcoming Sunday, check out our This Sunday At Calvary playlist. This list is updated weekly with the songs we’re planning to lead at the upcoming Sunday service.

“Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
Colossians 3:16 (CSB)

“Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.”
Psalm 96:1-3 (CSB)

“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us.’”
Matthew 1:22-23 (CSB)

“When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
Luke 2:15-18 (CSB)

“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.”
Philippians 2:5-7 (CSB)

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned…But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:12, 15-17 (CSB)