Christmas is a season of story, song, artistry, and devotion. At its heart is the story of Jesus’ birth, narrated in the Gospels and linked with a rich web of Old Testament prophecies and later New Testament reflections. Over the centuries, Christian preachers, poets, storytellers, and artists have reflected on the significance of the Christmas story in their own way, so that a rich body of Christmas literature and art now exists. We’re excited to bring some of the best of that material together in a new Accordance module of Christmas Classics.

Christmas Classics begins with the Christmas story itself by providing Scripture readings for each day of Advent. These are followed by a selection of Christmas sermons by great preachers like Leo the Great, Martin Luther, George Whitefield, and Charles Spurgeon. Those who own John Piper’s Sermon Manuscript Library can also follow links to his various Christmas sermons.

The next two sections include Christmas Carols and Christmas Poetry. The Carols section includes the lyrics to each carol along with a link to the iTunes store. Looking for just the right version of Silent Night to play this Christmas? Just click the link to sample recordings by Faith Hill, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Ray Coniff, even Willie Nelson!

christmas_classics

The next section of Christmas Classics is called “Stories and Legends.” It includes richly illustrated versions of Clement Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl, and O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. You’ll also find the famous newspaper column, “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.”

The final section of Christmas Classics contains images of the birth of Jesus by great artists like Rembrandt, Rubens, and Doré, along with an index to the illustrations from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, and The Gift of the Magi. If you’re looking for the right image to include in a Keynote slide show or Christmas letter, Christmas Classics is a rich source to mine.

ChistmasImages

In addition to mining this module for images, you can also use Accordance’s search capabilities to find quotations and excerpts with which to illustrate your own sermons and lessons. Search for a word or phrase like “peace on earth” or “Christ is born,” and you may find a useful illustration from a lesser known verse of a carol or a bit of dialogue in the middle of a story.

This treasure trove of Christmas literature and art is on sale through December 24 for just ten dollars—a savings of 66% off the list price. Best of all, you can download and install Christmas Classics right away through Easy Install.