New Calvin Book Celebrates Classic Christmas Sermons

November 9, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Christmas is steeped in history - from the birth of Christ some 2,000 years
ago to the classic centuries-old hymns and carols sung each December.

Now, from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, comes a new devotional
book that, hope the editors, will bring even more history - but also currency -
to the Christmas season.

"Proclaiming the Christmas Gospel" is subtitled "ancient sermons and hymns for
contemporary Christian inspiration."

The book, from Baker Books, was released late last month.

Inside the slender, 143-page volume are 13 historical sermons - all of which
were originally preached on Christmas day - dating from near the time of Christ
to the time of the Reformation.

"The first dates back to just three centuries after the birth of Christ," says
John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and a
co-editor of the book (with Halifax, N.S. pastor David Vroege). "In fact it
may well have been preached in Bethlehem itself - in a church built to honor
Jesus' birth."

That sermon is by Jerome, a Biblical scholar who translated the entire Hebrew
Old Testament and the Greek New Testament into Latin. The final two sermons in
the book are by Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin (for whom Calvin
College is named).

In between are offerings from such preachers as Gregory the Great, John Wyclif
and Thomas a Kempis. And, after each sermon, there's a Christmas hymn, written
in the same century as the preceding sermon.

Witvliet says reading the collection of historical sermons on the birth of
Christ can provide new insights for contemporary worshippers, including
preachers.

"In a culture that values novelty and innovation," he says, "what is
remarkable about Christmas is that it is the one time of the year when
worshippers who otherwise prefer new music often want to sing old songs. In a
culture of emails and instant messages, the candles and carols of Christmas are
for some worshippers the most tangible signs of continuity with the historic
church that they will experience all year."

That continuity, Witvliet says, is important. While many Christians attend
church hoping to hear sermons that connect horizontally with their lives and
the day's issues, services enriched by ideas from long-ago preachers and
composers can help worshipers frame their own stories vertically, within the
context of "the old, old story."

Vroege reiterates that sentiment.

"I hope readers will experience Christmas less as an isolated event," he says,
"and more as part of an ongoing story."

Contact John Witvliet at jwitvlie@calvin.edu or 616-526-6806
For more see http://www.calvin.edu/worship/pub/christmas_sermons.htm

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Received on Tue Nov 9 14:34:29 2004