• Recall one of your favorite Advent or Christmas hymns.
• Find the hymn in a hymnbook you have or on the internet. If you cannot find it, write down the lyrics you can remember.
• Read the words, sing the hymn, or sing along with a recording, perhaps more than once.
Remember
• Consider why this hymn is a favorite.
• What memories of Christmas seasons past does it invoke? They might include a time of great joy or time of sadness. They might be memories of family, friends, places, or a special gift.
• What words in the hymn reinforce your faith, or add to the meaning or your understanding of the gift of Christ’s coming?
• What emotions do you feel when you sing the hymn or hear it performed? Consider their origin.
Prayer
Based on the gifts of memories, understanding, and feelings this hymn has given you, offer praise and thanksgiving for the hymn, God’s presence in good times and bad, our salvation in Christ, and the hope for the future we have in Christ. Amen.
