Christmas Bells Are Ringing
It’s Christmas time, and people have set up decorations everywhere to begin the celebrations. Such displays always include bells, but strangely, there were no bells associated with the first Christmas—unless there were bells on the livestock in the manger. The only bells specifically mentioned in Scripture are the golden bells sewn onto the priestly robes in Exodus. So, why are bells a ubiquitous feature in Christmas decorations and celebrations?
Christmas makes us think of sleigh bells, which evoke the wintry dimension of the year-end holiday, but the songs intoning that “Sleigh Bells Ring” (Are You Listening) were written by songwriters looking to secularize Christmas. The same is true of “Silver Bells” (It’s Christmas Time in the City), which may evoke visions of urban retail window displays. Those bells really have nothing to do with the essence of Christmas.
Perhaps a case could be made for the religious relevance of Salvation Army bell ringers who ting-ting-tingle their way into our hearts and wallets to “fill the hungry with good things” (Mary’s Son in Luke 1:53). An American Christmas legend says: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” That’s a sweet, dubious notion, but other than warming our hearts as we nostalgically watch an old movie, the saying has nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas.
In fact, the true significance of bells at Christmas comes from the bells that used to call villagers and townsfolk to church back in the days when people didn’t wear watches or carry cell phones to keep time or watch the calendar.
The ringing of a Christmas bell is a call to worship.
Whether chiming in a church tower, hanging on a Christmas tree, ringing in a collection of musical instruments, or jingling on a sleigh, bells at Christmas always call us to prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and song. Along those lines, anything that calls us to worship Christ at Christmas functions as a bell would.
As you prepare your heart for Christmas this year, pay attention to the bells all around you. Every Christmas display is a bell. Every carol on the radio is a bell. Every Christmas party is a bell. Make every call of “Merry Christmas” or even “Happy Holidays” a bell. See every baby, every expecting mother, every evergreen tree, every candy cane as a bell. Attend to the ringing everywhere, and when you hear it, turn your heart to worship.
Have the merriest Christmas ever!