Every year this happens to me. Every year I disagree with choices of churches all around the country. This year is no exception.
Please, as you read this, understand this is a reflection on me, not on my church.
I think my heart must be too hard. I simply cannot enter into worship the way I normally can when the songs are all Christmas Carols. I understand that many of these songs say great things in very worshipful ways. For all I know, they even started as worship songs.
It just doesn't work that way for me. I learned them as Christmas Carols and Christmas Carols they remain. I don't say this as a negative against any church, or even any worship director, but I have never been able to worship through these songs. I don't know that I ever will. Even typing that is a sad statement of my spiritual frailty.
Christmas songs don't bother me at church - ones like Silent Night or O Come O Come Emmanuel. We don't sing Jingle Bells or Santa Claus is Coming to Town - I don't find those to be appropiate for church. I was raised with Christmas songs being part of the Christmas season and I look forward to them - even in church. However, my current church sings God Bless America every year on Memorial Day Sunday and I have thought that to be an odd song for church services. Maybe I hear too much of the separation of church and state, and I consider this song to be more 'state' than 'church'. I really like God Bless America too, so I think I can relate to what you are saying - just not with the Christmas songs we sing at church.
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