Do Christmas carols count as worship?

This is the time of year when many service leaders, music directors and worship leaders find their minds full of a different kind of song list to that which tends to be the norm. Themes turn to shepherds and mangers, Kings and stables—and how did we figure out how to rhyme frankincense with presence again?

To consider the question of whether ‘Carols are worship’ is of course not much different to asking ‘How long is a piece of string?’ Nonetheless, pondering the question does allow some fruitful reflection on creativity, the nature of worship and the importance of remembering and telling our story of salvation.