If we pick up a Pray Together or a Breaking Bread for some liturgical singing, we might ask, "Which Christmas hymn packs in the most theology, line for line?"

My answer: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, words by pioneer Methodist Charles Wesley. The second verse alone gives us: "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!/ Hail th'incarnate Deity!/ Pleased as man with us to dwell." And from the third verse: "Born that we no more may die ... Born to give us second birth."

We might also think of various Christmas carols in terms of themes which they collectively develop. I find, for instance, that there are groups of carols related to one another because they tackle similar aspects of the mystery of the Incarnation, or the implications of that mystery for us faithful.

Consider The Little Drummer Boy and In the Bleak Midwinter. Each of these songs addresses the question, "How does the believer respond to the gift of the Christ Child?" The drummer boy cannot give a gift to match, in their opulence, those of the Magi. But he asks: "Shall I play for you?" We know the result. With a similar sentiment Christina Rossetti concludes her meditation on the cold environment which Jesus has entered: "What I can, I give him: give my heart."

Then there are the musical works which make a point of reminding us that Christmas is simply the opening act for the drama of Jesus' death and resurrection: the accomplishment of the work of our redemption. Such tunes as The Holly and the Ivy, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, and especially I Wonder as I Wander unblinkingly face what Jesus confronted on behalf of us "poor ornery people": the power of evil which only he could conquer.

Finally, an "honorable mention" is called for. It has been 50 years since Do You Hear What I Hear? was composed and published. It may not seem to have any particular theological depth. But we better appreciate this song when we consider the circumstances under which it was written. "Pray for peace, people everywhere" was not a half-thought-out or idle wish. The words were composed during the grimmest days of the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 — when it indeed seemed that the Soviet Union and the United States might clash and unleash their terrible nuclear might. Peace, of course, is a theme connected with the birth of Jesus, directly from Luke's writing in the second chapter of his Gospel about the songs of the angels. We faithful find ourselves acknowledging the need for inner individual peace if the world is to enjoy a collective state of harmony among the peoples. Each has its effect on the other.

And because we all want to add to our store of Christmas lore, it's also of interest to note that the words of Do You Hear What I Hear? were written by Noel Regney.