Carol Klein, with schoolbooks under one arm and a sheet of music under the other, got off the express train from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The year was 1957 and the 15-year-old was determined to be a singing sensation. Wearing bobby socks, white sneakers, and a black skirt with a pink poodle embroidered on it, she opened the New York City telephone book. Starting with the “As” in the directory, she visited every music industry executive until she found one who would record her songs. 

After being turned away by several recording studios, ABC-Paramount invited her to record four songs. Five decades later we know her as Carol King who has over twenty solo albums. At the age of 71, King was the first woman, on May 22, 2013, to receive Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The award is named after the music-writing team of George and Ira Gershwin.

Whenever King performs at a concert, a large number of Baby Boomers are in attendance. They were the ones who knew her best in the 1960s and ‘70s. Regarding the boomer audiences King said, “They have connected with me and, in connecting with me, they’re really connecting with themselves and thinking of where they were when they first heard one of my songs.”

The reason why we enjoy music so much is because of its connective quality. We connect to a message, a place, a person, or a memory. That connection continues to interpret and sustain life for us, as it gives us a sense of purpose and meaning.

The Britannica Encyclopedia defines music as, “art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, usually according to cultural standards of rhythm, melody, and in most Western music, harmony.” The important point for us is the phrase “emotional expression.” Music often articulates that which we feel but are unable to put into grammatical sentences.

Paul concluded his letter to Rome with a doxology. Doxology comes from the two Greek words doxa and logos. These two words basically mean “words of praise.” Paul chose to close his letter with a doxology for the purpose of emotional expression. For Paul knew that words of praise best expressed the theological message contained in the previous pages of his letter. It is a message that we praise God for revealing to us through Jesus Christ our relationship with the God.

Doxologies are found in almost every book of the New Testament. These were doxologies that were used in worship in the first-century church. Hearing the doxology read in a letter, congregations would understand why the author of the letter wanted to give glory to God. They could sing a doxology of praise when they learned of the letter’s message of forgiveness, of the message of salvation, and of the message of a personal God. It is for these reasons that we today sing doxologies in worship.

The use of hymns and doxologies for emotional expression was always a part of the liturgy of the early church. The Fourth Ecumenical Council, also known as the Council of Chalcedon, was a church council held from October to November in the year 451 AD. Chalcedon was an ancient maritime town in a region of the Roman Empire in northwest Asia Minor. At this council we were afforded the Latin hymn of praise called Te Deum, with the English translation being “A Song of the Church.” The hymn begins with this stanza:

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ,
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father

“A Song of the Church” is a hymn of praise and adoration. It is a hymn that expresses our devotion and submission to God. “A Song of the Church” is most certainly a hymn we could sing in our worship service today.

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Christmas Day. The doxology Gloria in excelsis becomes important for us. This was the doxology sung by the angels when they announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. The words come to us from Luke’s gospel and are probably familiar to all of us. The angels sang:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The doxology Gloria in excelsis is often called the “Angel’s Hymn.” It is regarded by the church as the Greater Doxology. By the year 500 it was sung in churches before the scripture reading. The Greater Doxology was used with the same purpose that Paul used his doxology at the conclusion of his letter to the church in Rome. It was used for emotional expression.

What emotion did Paul want to express? Paul was singing a doxology because God had, in Paul’s words, “revealed the mystery that was kept a secret for ages.” The mystery revealed was that we now fully understood the gospel message. It was a mystery that the Old Testament prophets understood vaguely, but we now understand fully. It was a mystery that has been revealed through Jesus Christ. We now know, through Jesus Christ, the eternal plan of God.

And what is the eternal plan of God that was revealed in Jesus Christ? It is all the theological doctrines that Paul presented in his letter to the church in Rome. The first half of the word theology is theo that means God in Greek. The suffix -logy means “the study of.” So, theology literally means “the study of god.” The letter that Paul wrote to the church in Rome was his most theological dissertation. In this letter, more than any other, Paul systematically outlined what he believed.

The theology that Paul presented in Romans was that the gospel was the power of God for salvation for both Jews and Gentiles. Paul believed that sin was a universal human condition and that people could only be saved by grace. Paul exhorted Christians to present their bodies as living sacrifices, remaining obedient to the teachings of Jesus. For this message Paul sang a doxology, a hymn of praise.

Today is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” The Advent season is focused on the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.

Most churches have an Advent wreath with five candles. The four outer candles are lit during the four Sundays of Advent, and the center candle is lit on Christmas Day. Various meanings have been associated with each candle, but the interpretation that I now present is appropriate as it corresponds with Paul’s message in his letter to the church in Rome.

The first candle represents Isaiah who prophesied of the coming of the Messiah. The second candle represents the Bible, the Word of God. The third candle represents Mary, the mother of Jesus. The fourth candle represents John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, who told the people in Israel to get ready for the coming of the Messiah. The middle candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents the Messiah, Jesus, the light of the world. Three of the candles are purple. On the third Sunday, which represents Mary, the color is pink. The center candle is always white as it represents Christ.

Purple is the liturgical color for Advent. Purple symbolizes the sovereignty of Christ who is the Messiah. Purple is the color of royalty as we celebrate the coming of the King of kings. Purple is an appropriate symbolic color to represent the message of Advent, for Advent is the season of the Christian year in which we prepare ourselves for the coming Messiah.

Purple is also the color used in Lent for it symbolizes penitence, which is the message of Lent. The selection of the color purple for both the liturgical season of Advent and the liturgical season of Lent is not arbitrary. The color purple that is used in Advent and Lent shows the connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The Incarnation cannot be separated from the crucifixion.

Our lectionary reading for this worship service is appropriate for it represents Paul’s understanding of Advent, as well as the church’s understanding of Advent through the centuries. It is the message that during the last four sabbaths we have prepared ourselves for the mystery that will be revealed tomorrow on Christmas Day. It is the message that the Messiah has come and the world has been redeemed.

Tomorrow is Christmas Day. Do you feel spiritually prepared? Do you feel you can approach the manger with the same sacredness as the shepherds? Do you feel you can show the same adoration as the three wise men? Do you feel like you are ready to sing a doxology of praise?

Tonight there will be many festivities — which is good. We should have a time of merriment. But, there should be a pause in the merriment to reflect on what we shall be celebrating tomorrow morning. We should be sure that we have prepared ourselves to come to worship on Christmas Day with contrite and penitent hearts.

Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born in Germany in 1685, was a great composer and church organist. He considered church music to be sacred. Bach once said, “I play the notes as they are written but it is God who makes the music.”

Bach’s love for music can be understood from this story from his childhood. Johann’s parents died when he was a young boy, so he lived with his brother, who was a church organist. Johann wanted to learn and play music, but his brother kept his music locked away, since he thought it is too valuable to be used by children. So each night, when everyone was asleep, Johann, with candle in hand, quietly crept down the stairs to the study. He carefully opened the door to the study so it would not squeak. He then went over to the locked cabinet and squeezed his arm through the lattice. He carefully grabbed a manuscript and spread the precious pages out on the table. The rest of his night was spent carefully copying the notes of the music. He would then begin to learn this piece in the morning.

When Johann was an adult and an established church organist and composer, he still believed music to be sacred. Realizing his compositions were inspired by God he always followed this sacred ritual. Whenever he began a new piece of music, he bowed his head and prayed. Without Jesus’ help, Bach knew he’d never be able to complete the task of composing. Before writing even one note, Bach carefully formed the letters J J at the top of the page. The letters stood for Jesu Juva, which means “Jesus, Help!” Bach knew he could best compose a piece of music with the help of Jesus.

 When Bach completed his composition, he wrote the letters SDG at the bottom of the last page of his composition. The letters SDG stood for “Soli Deo Gloria,” which means “For the Glory of God Alone.” Bach hoped that when the music was played, it would point toward the glory of God.

On this last Sunday of Advent as we prepare our hearts and souls for Christmas morning, let us join together in singing the “Angel’s Hymn”:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Amen.