The Christmas hymns and carols being among the most lovely, sing-able, and familiar, are also among the most richly doctrinal. I know of no other time of the year where so many Evangelical and Protestant congregations (from all sections of the worship-style spectrum) are singing and meditating on such explicitly creedal confessions of the church and Scripture with such frequency and regularity.

I realize that there is a spectrum of opinion and conviction amongst the readership of Ref21. There are those in the Reformed orbit who are entirely opposed to singing hymns in corporate worship, to say nothing of any sort of acknowledgment of anything even vaguely approximating the liturgical calendar! Those convictions are certainly respected and respectable, but (fair warning) for adherents of such a position, the following article will probably serve only as an irritant.
However, for those within the Reformed communion who do not hold to the aforementioned convictions, I suspect many of you might be like me: I serve in a Reformed Christian tradition where large segments of our denomination do not observe a church calendar or liturgical year. A few congregations do, a few more have a quasi-Advent observance during the month of December. But really for the majority of congregations, it’s simply the weekly cycle of Lord’s Day Morning worship and Lord’s Day Evening worship each and every Sunday.
There are a whole host of reasons for this reality and the aim here is not to debate the merits or detractions of a liturgical calendar, but simply to point out that (in American Protestantism at least) regardless of how high-church or low-church an individual congregation may be, almost every congregation I know of gives some sort of head-nod to the two predominant “festival” days of the year: Easter and Christmas.
We can argue another day about whether this should be. There is a venerable tradition of its custom, particularly coming out of the Continental Reformed Tradition.[1] But I digress.
No, the point of this article (assuming the reality of Christmas and the hymns that accompany it) is to give some attention to the theologically rich and particularly creedal congregational singing that comes ‘round at Christmastime.
In addition to the Christmas hymns and carols being among the most lovely, sing-able, and familiar, are also among the most richly doctrinal. I know of no other time of the year where so many Evangelical and Protestant congregations (from all sections of the worship-style spectrum) are singing and meditating on such explicitly creedal confessions of the church and Scripture with such frequency and regularity.
Perhaps it is lamentable that this is a phenomenon that does not happen more often. But the national worship scene being what it is, it is worth celebrating the fact that such singing is happening and that our Christian worship as is the more blessed and enriched because of it.
If you will indulge me a few examples and comparisons, I think you will see why such creedal hymnody encourages me and moves me to consider that the state of Christian worship in this nation may not yet be totally forgone and forsaken.
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Notes
[1] Do with this information what you will. Much of it was born out of compromise and as a result of tensions between ecclesiastical leaders and various civil magistrates. As historians, we must acknowledge the historical reality and subsequent traditions that followed:
Synod of Dordt Church Order: “Article 67 – The Churches shall observe, in addition to Sunday, also Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, with the following day, and whereas in most of the cities and provinces of the Netherlands the day of Circumcision and of Ascension of Christ are also observed, Ministers in every place where this is not yet done shall take steps with the Government to have them conform to the others.”

Written by T. M. Suffield |
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Essentially, dear sweet people who love Jesus very much think it’s Godly to absolutely crush themselves with responsibilities in and around the church community. It isn’t. Please stop it. This might be motivated by a desire to ‘work’ our salvation or to ‘strive’ towards Jesus. It might be motivated by a sense that we’re supposed to kill ourselves for Jesus (no, we’re meant to kill our selves—harder but less hard work). I think most of the time it’s neither, it’s more likely that they’re good hearted people who take on more bit by bit over time and don’t think it’s OK to say “no” to something.

So often I meet people in churches I’ve been involved in or from elsewhere who are working incredibly hard for Jesus. It’s laudable but it rarely looks to me like the Way of Jesus.
Jesus taught a way of ease, with kind yokes and light burdens (Matthew 11). We should be disciplined (1 Corinthians 9), but we shouldn’t be driving ourselves into the ground.
So often I meet people in churches I’ve been involved in or from elsewhere who are drifting for Jesus. It’s distressing, but I wonder if the church has really done very much to help them get away from it.
Stop Being Martyrs
I think that one of the reasons some people are drifting and others are driving themselves into the ground is because the overworked don’t ask those with no discipline to do anything.
I understand why, ‘ask a busy person if you want something done,’ the business proverb goes. It’s true too, as anyone who has led people knows. They’re competent and do things well and it’s all straightforward. Great, but those aren’t values of the Kingdom. I love it when everything in my church is done really well, why wouldn’t I? But when that gets in the way of asking something else to do anything it’s not a good desire. It’s actually my sinful desire for perfection and it needs to get in the bin.
I don’t think the only problem is that the leaders won’t ask them to do things, they don’t ask because it’s easier to ask the same old people. Which isn’t good, but why do those same old people keep saying, “yes!” with such (fake) enthusiasm? I think it’s because they’re martyrs.
This is especially prevalent in people who helped to plant a church or are on staff, but it can appear wider than that. Essentially, dear sweet people who love Jesus very much think it’s Godly to absolutely crush themselves with responsibilities in and around the church community. It isn’t.
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Shepherd for the long run, brothers. Avoid living for the short blazes of glory. One day every shepherd will give an accounting to the Chief Shepherd. May we be able to offer a good report from every stage.

You’re a recent seminary grad, and you’ve just been elected to your first pastorate. What might a young pastor expect in the years ahead?
Or perhaps you’re starting year 10 and everything’s going well, but you feel tired, even stagnant. How can you continue to navigate the twists and turns of pastoral ministry and endure over the long haul?
Unique experiences and challenges grace every stage of ministry. If only I’d known the tendencies common to age and experience, I might’ve better navigated the sometimes rough terrain. If hindsight is 20/20, then allow some hindsight to offer perspective for a pastor’s future.
Here are eight lessons I’ve learned related to ministry stages.
1. Seminary is behind me, and I’m ready. (Years 1–2)
Illusion engulfs many who venture into pastoral ministry. They’ve spent years parsing Greek verbs, wrestling with theological conundrums, and tracking through centuries of church history. Well-armed, they attempt to wield ministry tools with zeal—only to find disinterested congregations.
Most churches are happy to have a seminary graduate as pastor, but they don’t really care about the Puritans or the Synoptic Problem. They want to know how to hold their congregation together so it can live to celebrate another anniversary. Generally, size has limited their ability to keep a pastor for very long, so it’s hard to trust a new pastor, especially a fresh-faced seminary grad.
The young pastor starts with a handicap.
What must he do? Learn to shepherd. They’ll listen more intently if you love and listen to them. They’ll teach things you never dreamed about in seminary, things you’ll need for subsequent years.
2. Why did I bother with seminary? (Years 3–5)
At this stage, you realize seminary prepared you for the study and pulpit, but not the grind of counseling, meetings, leadership struggles, conflict, and personal endurance. Seminary has its place. It’s needed. It loads your wagon for years ahead. But it cannot equip you for the interpersonal challenges erupting weekly.
Pastoral work is about relationships. No wonder it tests your mettle! You’re called to love and shepherd even the unkind and hardened. And that can’t happen without working on your own heart. 
What must a pastor do? Go deep in devotion and prayer. Fight your sin. Die daily. Learn to love as Christ has loved you. Some give up on pastoral ministry because they’ve met hard people and can’t continue shepherding in the face of rejection. But pastoral ministry is “a long obedience in the same direction,” to borrow Eugene Peterson’s phrase. At this stage, the best lesson is that you must grow as a Christian, too.
3. Will the real church stand up? (Years 5–7)
After weathering some battles, in years five to seven the pastor is ready to see his congregation live like God’s people. He’s walked in faithfulness, learned about loving the body, grown in his personal disciplines, and now longs to see the church manifest the beauty of unity in Christ.
Glimmers of love, holiness, and unity emerge. He longs to see more. His passion for the church grows. His love for the people matures. He begins to see his congregation’s uniqueness and how it might best display the glory of the gospel in relationships, ministry, and mission.
What must a pastor do? Keep a steady pace to avoid burnout. Take breaks to recharge. Don’t grow weary in doing the work of ministry, and don’t try to do it all yourself. You can’t and you mustn’t. Some trees need years of pruning and care to start bearing good fruit. Fight complacency and weariness; your best days are ahead.