When on the eve of Christmas, the expectant children go to church with their parents late in the afternoon and when later the presents are given to the family under the festively decorated Christmas tree, then we are in a good tradition that already gave comfort and edification to our forefathers- and mothers. Luther with his family under the Christmas tree would correspond to one of our ideals at Christmas time. But in Luther’s time around 1520, this tradition did not yet exist. It was not until the beginning of the 17th century that the Christmas tree came into the bourgeois Protestant living rooms. The artistic representation from the 19th century shown here is free enough to draw its own reality. Luther is therefore not the “father of the Christmas tree”, but with the Reformation he ensured that new Christmas customs were introduced.

Let me describe three of these changes:

The midnight service was brought forward to the evening. The typical Protestant home devotion then brought this service into the families. There they sang together with new songs by Martin Luther, Nikolaus Hermann, Paul Gerhardt and others. Praying together was also part of it, as was reading the Christmas Gospel. The children had learned Bible verses by heart during the Advent season, which they now recited. Christmas Eve, i.e. the evening before, thus became an eventful highlight and centre of Christmas. In Germany, it was a contemplative family time.

The Christ Child replaces St. Nicholas. Luther was a thorn in the side of the cult of the saints, as was the cult of Saint Nicholas. On his name day, December 6, there were gifts for the children. Luther, on the other hand, put the figure of the Christ Child in the foreground, an angelic figure who works at Christmas. This shifted the distribution of gifts from St. Nicholas Day to Christmas Eve.

German-language songs are sung by the congregation. With the Reformation, the congregation became part of the service. She also had to be able to sing along to the songs in an understandable way. Since there were hardly any German-language songs, the musically educated Luther wrote songs with new lyrics from well-known originals. The most famous are “Praise be to you, Jesus Christ” and “From heaven above to earth I come”. When we sing these Luther songs again at Christmas, may we remember the effect of the Reformation on Christmas and the rich tradition we are privileged to celebrate. And may we be reminded also of the mind-blowing fact that the God of the universe chose to walk among us in the dust and dirt of earthly life so that he might save us. This is the true meaning of Christmas.

I wish one and all a very blessed and contemplative Christmas Season.

Yours in Christ, Anja Spiske

Sources: sonntagsblatt.de luther2017.de