“Carol Service at 6.30pm” said the poster outside a crowded church. As two men passed by one said, “I don’t know who she is, but she certainly pulls them in!”

The word carol means circle. A Carolin was a round gold coin, a stone circle is a carol of stones and a musical carol means, to sing in a ring! It is therefore impossible for a true Christian carol to be miserable! It’s been well said that love is the trade mark of Christianity and joy is the colour it’s printed in!

In the middle of the Bible there’s a book of songs called Psalms and God wants us to have a song right in the middle of our hearts! The Apostle Paul wrote, “Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord.” [ Ephesians 5:19 ] When he and his colleague Silas were beaten and imprisoned with their feet fastened in the stocks they began praying and singing hymns to God at midnight! [ Acts 16:22-40 ] There’s no other religion in the world that has so many thousands of hymns as Christianity and many have no joyful songs at all.

The Christmas good tidings of great joy that a Saviour has been born, were brought by angels to some Bethlehem shepherds watching over their flocks by night. As a special sign they were told they would find the baby lying in a manger, a rather unusual place! These shepherds may not have known that about 400 years before this, the prophet Micah had foretold that this special person would be born in Bethlehem! [ Micah 5:2 and John 7:42 ]

Hundreds of other prophecies confirm that this baby was God come down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ in order to die for us, and rise from the dead. By turning from our sins and trusting in Him we can be forgiven. This good news has set millions singing, why not join them?