Celebrate Advent traditions through Sacred Music
In a world eager for Christmas, especially big box stores, slow down with an Advent playlist. Discover the power of waiting through sacred music.
Your local stores are “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and dreaming of a “White Christmas” right after Halloween these days. But we can make our homes oases of contemplation and waiting. Instead of playing your favorite Christmas playlist when you’re home, build a music list centered around Advent.
Advent songs in anticipation of Christmas are one of our treasured Christian traditions. And our ancestors in faith had a real insight into human psychology – denying ourselves of a pleasure for a short period makes the joy that much more exciting when it finally arrives!
So let’s enter into this time of waiting by waiting with a curated playlist.
Your list!
Here are some options to get your playlist started! Find them on Spotify or your favorite music streaming service.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Of the Father’s Love Begotten
Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming
On Jordan’s Bank
I Was Glad (Henry Purcell)
Wake, Awake, the Night is Dying
Maria Walks Amid the Thorn
People, Look East
O Come Divine Messiah
Vox Clara
Wachet auf! ruft uns die Stimme (J.S. Bach)
The Angel Gabriel
Rorate Caeli
Come Thou Redeemer
Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Of course, be sure to add the entire first part of Handel’s Messiah to any Advent playlist (save the second part for after Christmas!).
Off-line options
If you’re going app-free for Advent and would like a good, old-fashioned CD instead, here are a few Refine favorites!
While society rushes into Christmas earlier each year, we can turn off the noise. Great sacred music turns out the noise and helps us enter that counter-cultural time of preparation and hope in order to celebrate Christmas with greater solemnity.
Think of the joy of finally singing a long-anticipated and much-loved Christmas carol – the more we yearn for it, the greater the excitement when it finally arrives.
