There’s some delightful new Christian songs that have been written for Advent & Christmas this year. Here’s five that I love!
1) Maker, Made A Child by Emu Music
This is stunning. Classic Emu. Download a lyric video here.
2) Comfort and Joy by Joyful Noise
Picking up on the Church of England’s Advent & Christmas theme, the Brewster brothers have knocked it out of the park here. Download it here.
3) Joy (As Far as the Curse is Found) by Caroline Cobb
Really enjoying Caroline’s music over the last two years. Her new album is well worth checking out, and this is one of my faves with it’s super-catchy chorus.
4) O Come, All You Unfaithful by Sovereign Grace Music
I flagged this up a few weeks ago in the Refill. Really timely lyrics. And the video is very moving – most of the individuals or groups filmed were listening for the first time and were facing different challenges at the time.
5) When the Word of God by Phil Moore (Home for Christmas)
12 Revelations of Christmas (12RC) seeks to help young people engage with the Christmas story by using Augmented Reality (AR) to bring it to life on a device.
12 REVELATIONS OF CHRISTMAS:
Apple/Android
Free
Bringing Christmas to you
AR is an increasingly popular technology for smartphones/tablets. It uses a device’s camera to overlay a digital environment, e.g. characters or a scene, onto the ‘real world’ (the Pokemon Go app is a popular example).
12RC has been produced by Missional Generation, who want to help the Church see screens as an opportunity for missional engagement with the Christian faith, rather than something to be fearful of.
12 Devotions, Endless Possibilities
The app offers 12 exciting digital AR experiences each bringing to life a different aspect/theme of the Christmas story. These are triggered by using the camera to scan one of 12 printed cards. There are also 12 optional downloadable devotions to reflect on afterwards. These cards and devotions can be bought from the Missional Generation website as part of their 12RC resource box.
The beauty of AR is that it offers countless creative opportunities, depending on where you place the printed ‘trigger’ cards. 12RC could be used around a church building, for a school ‘prayer space’, in the home, or even by setting up a geocaching Christmas journey through your village or town.
Have A Go!
To sample it today, download and open the ’12 Revelations of Christmas’ app, allow it to use your camera, and place your phone over the image of the gift in this article – and tap the ‘present’ three times on your screen.
A version of this article was first published here in the December Issue of Evangelicals Now and is shared here with permission. EN is a monthly newspaper published in print and online, offering a biblical perspective on current issues and insight on what’s happening with God’s people worldwide. Online subscription is just £10 p/a with print & online combined for just £18. Order a free sample or subscribe here.
One of the most increasingly popular ways of communicating the Christian message at Christmas is through video content on social media. And there’s such an amazing amount of gospel creativity out there to help us do that. These examples below are perfect for sharing online or playing at carol events & school assemblies, etc.
Very cute – great for assemblies and the like – and with this killer line: “So come to the manger, see God become small; the true Christmas story has room for us all.”
2) Myrrh for a Baby – Ed Mayhew
Love this spoken word piece on the surprise that myrrh was given to this baby.
3) The Gift – Speak Life
Clever and witty musical number on the theme of gift-giving, which ties into an accompanying evangelistic book to give-away, The Gift, by Glen Scrivener.
4) There IS a dragon at Christmas — John Lewis/Waitrose response
Clever re-telling of the nativity to link in with this year’s Christmas advert from John Lewis.
5) The Coming — A Christmas Poem – Speak Life
R.S. Thomas’ moving poem with some beautiful videography to help us marvel at the Incarnation.
6) Instead of You – Phil Knox & EA
Phil Knox riffs on those all-too-familiar lines from cheesy Christmas classics to reflect on the heart of Christmas.
7) The Mystery of Noisy Neighbour – Bible Society
Not got your primary school Christmas assembly planned? Why not begin here? And you can find more info & resources here.
8) Mess – Dai Woolridge
Dai teams up with the Bible Society and captures the powerful truth that Jesus was born into our mess…
9) Lift Up Your Eyes – Co-Mission & FIEC
Is it a John Lewis ad… definitely not… discover a love to come home to this Christmas!
10) It’s Nearly Here – Inspire Saint James Clerkenwell
Ha! Clever idea… although maybe this is one for Thanksgiving more than Christmas? I suppose the point is we can make the same mistake with Christ…
13) Meet The Nativity – Glen Scrivener/Speak Life
Last year Glen Scrivener & the Speak Life produced a mini-soap: a family of four twenty-first century characters who each find their place in the first century Nativity. The standalone website for Meet the Nativity is here, where you can also find the films as four seperate episodes, as well as ‘behind the scenes’ films introducing the characters and the ‘story behind the story’.
14) Wrapping Paper – Co-Mission
The story of an old teddy bear’s Christmas wish takes us deeper into our longings for acceptance and sense of shame, and presents the wonder of the Christian gospel this Christmas. This actually picked up best online film at the Premier Digital Awards earlier in November.
15) Mary’s Song – Cath & Dai Wooldridge (Bible Society/Spoken Truth)
Cath Wooldridge performs Mary’s Magnificat from Luke’s gospel. Chord chat available here.
16) He Came Down – Glen Scrivener
A powerful film picking up on how the Christmas story is all about a God who comes all the way down to the manger, who entered into our helplessness and humanity – showing both the goodness of human life and the wonder of his grace.
17) The Greatest Journey – Bible Society & Dai Wooldridge
Clever re-telling of the Christmas journey in the style of the popular kids’ book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
18) Light in the Darkness – Ben Moon
A special spoken word piece well worth sharing.
19) The Holy Office – Dai Wooldridge
After all the political controversy of the last couple of years, Dai asks, “who’s really in charge?” before seeking to persuade us that the baby in the manger may have everything to do with it.
20) Christmas in Dark Places – Glen Scrivener
The haircut’s changed, but this is still one of my favourites. A video that particularly recognises that many find themselves in a dark place this Christmas season.
22) The Well Good News of Christmas – Bible Society
Dai Woolridge & Emma Randall team up for the Bible Society to create this short, poetic animation exploring how the nativity story fits with the Bible’s big story. Get the accompanying book here.
23) Are You Ready for Christmas? – Go Chatter
Roger Carswell warmly narrates this graphic and asks the question, “are you ready for what God wants to give you this Christmas?” You pick up an accompanying book and free downloads of posters, invites and the high definition version of this video here.
24) Who Would Have Dreamed?
Who Would Have Dreamed? from Sovereign Grace Music’s stunning Prepare Him Room album is fast becoming one of my favourite Christmas songs. Here the song’s beautiful arrangement and lyrics are set to a thought-provoking animation of the Christmas narrative.
25) A Great Light – Moving Works
Contemporary re-telling of the promised events of Isaiah 9, ‘for to us a child is born’. More information here.
26) Christmas According to Kids – Southland Christian Church
Mostest Cutest?!
27) “Away in a What?” – Tiger Finch Creatives
In essence, a fun Bible overview in everyday language…
28) The Gift God Gave Us – Video Bible Talks
Video Bible Talks is all about creating free expositional Bible teaching that equips, resources and supports leaders with faithful Bible preaching and teaching using the medium of digital video. These aren’t super-short because they’re more designed to play in a teaching setting, but still well worth checking out and making use of.
29) Miracles can’t happen (and an exception) – Plungepool Media
Jonathan Greenaway gets under the surface of the response that God becoming human ‘just couldn’t happen’.
30) Jesus: Truth or Fairytale – Youthscape
I reckon this is particularly apt for secondary-school age. Meg Cannon particularly highlights how there’s much in the nativity story for young people to relate to, whilst asking whether it’s fact or fiction.
31) Four Kinds of Christmas – Glen Scrivener
Fabulous one-shot video from 2015, and so well thought-out. I love the way it get us to consider which of the ‘four kinds’ we are, after all everyone loves working out their ‘type’. Again, there’s an interactive website and book, which could be a great conversation starter.
Hello, my name is Robin. Welcome to That Happy Certainty, where I write and collate on Christianity, culture, and church-planting. I’m based in Barrow in South Cumbria, England, where my family & I are part of Grace Church Barrow.
