Whether you’re ‘hanging up your stocking on the wall,’ ‘Driving Home for Christmas’, or just ‘Dreaming of a White Christmas,’ as soon as November comes, we can expect to hear a sleighful of Christmas songs!
They’re piped through shops, supermarkets and arcades, and broadcast on radio and TV by the stockingful! And there’s always, of course, the ongoing race for the Christmas Number One!
Probably, we all have a few favourite Christmas songs, whether or not they’re religious! They provide a backdrop to the season, colour our celebrations, create a certain kind of atmosphere, and help us to party! “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!”
This Advent Course takes four non-religious Christmas songs to initiate discussion and reflection about what Christmas and our faith in Christ means to us (and to others).
The choice of non-religious songs is deliberate as it offers a dynamic way to engage with the experiences of the wider world, and provide a meeting point between the Christian Faith and how others view or experience Christmas, as we try to make connections.
It could even create an opportunity for Christians and those who are curious about the Christian faith to explore things together.
You can follow the course on your own or deliver it for others. You can include one song per session, or explore some or all of the songs in one sitting.
However, this Course also offers a simple model to explore and share other Christmas songs of your own.
1. The Song
After a short introduction, there is an opportunity to listen to the song or watch a video. Links are provided in each session outline.
After listening to the song, participants are invited to share some quick-fire responses about how it makes them feel before we get into deeper discussion.
(By the way, the sessions are offered in no particular order so you can take whatever song you want in any order)
2. Discussion
For each song, we offer a number of discussion starters or reflections – but they’re simply suggestions, and you shouldn’t feel obliged to use all of them.
There are also Bible references scattered throughout to root discussions in Holy Scripture or provide an opportunity for further Bible Study (so you may want to have a Bible at hand, although clicking on the bible links will direct you to an external website featuring the bible text).
By the end of the session, it will be useful to identify what we have gained or learned, what has changed for us, and whether there is anything we can respond to.
3. Prayer
At the end, you can gather things together in prayer, or by reading an appropriate passage from the Bible.
Do whatever works for you!
The Songs featured in this course are:
Session 1: ‘White Wine in the Sun’ written and performed by Tim Minchin:
Session 2: ‘Fairtytale of New York’ performed by the Pogues and Kirsty Maccoll, and written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan:
Session 3: ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ performed by Judy Garland, and written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the movie, ‘Meet me in St Louis.’
Session 4: “Stay Now” performed by East 17 and written by Tony Mortimer, Rob Kean and Dominic Hawken.
Playlist
Praylist
We’ll add more resources for prayer soon so you can have and create your own “praylist!”
God of Song and Silence, through Jesus you entered the darkness of this world with the brightness of your love. He dwelt among us, and lived as one of us. From the cradle to the cross and through the empty cave, he lived out your love and led us closer to Heaven’s shore, raising us to a life with you, a life without end. As we prepare for Christmas may we know your peace, experience your joy and share your love, until we join with the choirs of Heaven in one joyful song of praise. Amen.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 