As we enter the sacred Season of Advent in this December of 2025, our hearts begin to turn once again toward the celebration of the Nativity of Christ our Lord in Bethlehem, Israel, over two thousand years ago. In fact, this year’s Advent devotion theme for our midweek Holden Evening Prayer Service will be based on the hymn “The Holly and the Ivy” — which is a beautiful English Christmas carol with roots in medieval Christian folklore that points to the twin gospel themes of atonement for sins and eternal life.
And since I have holly on my mind this year, I’m also reminded of several secular Christmas songs: “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “We Need a Little Christmas.” In particular, I’m drawn to reflect on “We Need a Little Christmas” from the Broadway musical Mame, first performed in 1966. Because my parents (Stan and Bev Singleton) were children during the Great Depression, they both loved this upbeat Broadway song that captures a family’s desperate longing for Christmas joy amid the hardships of the 1930’s. I especially like the lyrics that exclaim, “Haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again,” which echo the Christian believer’s cry for the Light of Christ in the darkness of difficult times.
But what does a show tune have to do with the Nativity? Well, as Christians of the Lutheran Confession, we understand Christmas not merely as a festive holiday but as the fulfillment of God’s promise of Emmanuel (“God with us”). The song’s refrain — “We need a little Christmas, right this very minute” — mirrors the deep spiritual yearning that Advent awakens in us. Just as the characters in Mame seek cheer to combat despair, humanity has always needed the true Light of the World, Yeshua (Jesus), to pierce the darkness of sin and death. The Gospel of John beautifully proclaims this: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Jesus’ birth is that Divine Intervention, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), bringing grace upon grace to a broken and conflicted world.
So, the Nativity isn’t about our efforts to manufacture joy — it’s about God’s Word giving birth to faith and joy within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther himself marveled at the Incarnation, writing in his Christmas sermons that God became a child so that we might become children of God by his grace through the gift of faith. Therefore, even Christmas songs that merely remind us of our outward celebrations can also point us to the deeper reality of Christ’s birth. Whether we’re facing personal trials, global uncertainties, or the simple busyness of life, the Nativity assures us that God is with us — Emmanuel. And so, it’s not just “a little Christmas” we need; it’s the full promise of redemption that Jesus brings, justifying us by faith alone and incorporating us into his Eternal Light, Life, and Love.
As we light the Advent candles each week, let’s allow Christmas music like “The Holly and the Ivy” and “We Need a Little Christmas” and even “Holly Jolly Christmas” to inspire us toward the great Miracle of the Manger!
Join us for our special Advent services on Wednesdays at 7pm, where we’ll explore these themes through Scripture and song. And, of course, join us for our Christmas Eve candlelight service at 7pm and our Christmas Day service at 10:30am, as we receive Christ’s presence anew.
Brothers and sisters, may we be filled with the Joy of Christ this Advent and Christmastime, and let’s haul out the holly and put up the tree in celebration of our dear Savior’s birth! May we indeed have a holly jolly Christmas this year! But, infinitely far better, may we all have a Holly Holy Christmas!
Blessed Advent & Merry Christmas!!! Pastor Tim