A Thrill of Hope: What Child Is This?

Advent Blog – Week 1: The Heart of the Carols

This week we launch into our Advent series, A Thrill of Hope: The Heart of the Carols. Each December, we hear familiar Christmas carols everywhere—on the radio, in stores, in our homes, and in our churches. Yet many people have no idea where these songs come from, or how profoundly shaped they are by Scripture. The majority of our carols are rooted in biblical truth, though we rarely stop to notice it.

Advent gives us the yearly reminder to slow down and remember the true story—that Christ came into our world, in real history, to redeem us. These carols give us a chance to savor that story, to reflect, and to worship in the midst of what can be a frantic, or even lonely, season. My prayer is that as we sing them, these carols lead us to genuine worship and renewed awe at the goodness of God.

Advent is also an incredible opportunity to share the hope of Jesus with others. That’s why we encourage you to take invite cards, pray over them, and pass them along. A conversation may begin with a simple question about a Christmas song, but who knows how God may use it?

The Carol: A Question Filled With Wonder

This week’s carol, What Child Is This?, is one many of us have been singing since childhood. It was written in 1865 by an English businessman, William Dix, during one of the darkest and sickest seasons of his life. When God restored him, Dix responded by writing hymns. This one reflects the awe of a man whose suffering led to spiritual awakening and renewed appreciation for Christ.

The melody—Greensleeves—dates back to the 1500s, and its haunting beauty pairs perfectly with the carol’s central question:

“What child is this, who, laid to rest on Mary’s lap, is sleeping?”

It is not a question of confusion, but of wonder. Mary knew this child was her son, yet also understood—at least in part—that He was far more. She held a baby who was both human and divine, the fulfillment of promises spoken centuries before.

The Christmas Story Is Historical
Luke 2 grounds the birth of Jesus in verifiable history. Real rulers. Real towns. Real timelines.

• Caesar Augustus, adopted son of Julius Caesar, reigned from 27 BC to AD 14.
• Quirinius governed the region of Syria.
• Bethlehem was a small town just 6 miles from Jerusalem—still there today.
• Mary, likely a young teenager (as was normal in her culture), traveled with Joseph 90 difficult miles because Rome’s census gave them no choice.

Luke wants us to see that the Christmas story is not myth. Every name and place is traceable. Ancient historians—both Roman and Jewish—acknowledge Jesus’ life and influence.

This matters because our culture increasingly treats the nativity as little more than a sentimental story. But Christianity rests on historical events. Jesus really came. He was really born in Bethlehem. God truly entered His creation.

The Wonder of the Virgin Birth
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Luke 1, he made an astonishing announcement:
“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son… He will be great… and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”

Mary’s question—“How can this be?”—is the same one people still ask today. In an age that struggles to accept the miraculous, the virgin birth seems impossible.

But that is the essence of a miracle:
God steps into His own creation and acts outside the normal patterns He Himself formed.
If we struggle to accept the virgin birth, how can we accept the resurrection? The incarnation? The divine nature of Christ?
The carol echoes this miraculous moment, inviting us to ponder the mystery of God becoming man—born of a virgin, through the Holy Spirit, just as Isaiah 7:14 foretold.

Jesus: Fully Human, Fully God
The Gospels make it unmistakably clear that Jesus was fully human:

• He grew and learned (Luke 2:41–52).
• He worked a trade (Mark 6:3).
• He grew tired (John 4:6).
• He experienced hunger and thirst (Matthew 4:1–17).

He experienced life as we do—yet without sin.

But Jesus was also fully God. He had to be. Only God could live a perfect life, overcome sin, and redeem humanity.

John 1 calls Jesus the eternal Word—present in the beginning, the Creator of all, the One in whom life and light are found. Colossians 1 affirms that all things were made through Him and for Him, and that He holds all things together.
The child in Mary’s arms was the Creator of the universe.
No wonder the carol’s chorus proclaims:

“Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary.”

A Carol That Draws Us Into Worship
As Mary pondered the child she held, she marveled at God’s faithfulness and the stunning reality of the incarnation. We are invited to do the same.
The second verse says:

“Bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh…
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.”
This is the response of worship.
The angels worshiped.
The shepherds worshiped.
The wise men worshiped.

But sometimes we drift. Christmas can become repetitive. Familiar Scripture and familiar songs can feel dull through the fog of busyness or discouragement.

When William Dix wrote this hymn, he was recovering from depression and illness. Out of suffering came worship—renewed awe at who Jesus is.
Perhaps that is what you need this Advent season: to pause, slow down, and wonder again.
Recapturing Awe This Advent
If you feel spiritually dry, overwhelmed, discouraged, or numb this season, you are not alone. Advent invites us to stop and remember:

What child is this?
The One who came in humility, in poverty, in weakness—yet holds all things together.
The One who took on flesh so that He could take on our sin.
The One whose coming was foretold, whose birth was miraculous, whose life was perfect, and whose death and resurrection brought us life.
Let this season stir fresh praise in your heart.
Let the carols you hear ignite wonder.
Let the Word draw you into worship.

And as our children learn these same carols downstairs in Kids Ministry, take time to talk with them about what they mean. These songs are forming their understanding of the gospel—just as they continue to form ours.

The angels declared, “Glory to God in the highest.”
May the same cry rise in our hearts this Advent.

Scriptures Referenced
Old Testament
• Isaiah 7:14
• Isaiah 25:1
Gospels & Acts
• Luke 1:26–35
• Luke 2:1–7
• Luke 2:13–14
• Luke 2:41–52
• Matthew 4:1–17
• John 1:1–4
• John 1:14
• John 4:6
Epistles
• Philippians 2:6–8