TobyMac (Feat. Owl City) – Light of Christmas

TobyMac started in humble beginnings with fledgling hip hop band DC Talk in 1987, alongside college mates Kevin Max and Michael Tait.  In 2000, all three began to pursue solo careers.  With 13 years of experience under his belt, his career as TobyMac catapulted, leading to 13 albums and 3 EP’s.  These include:

• Momentum (2001)
• Welcome to Diverse City (2004)
• Phenomenon Festival Single (EP, 2004)
• Top Five Hits (EP, 2006)
• Portable Sounds (2007)
• Alive and Transported (Live, 2008)
• Tonight (2010)
• Christmas in Diverse City (2011)
• Eye on It (2012)
• This Is Not a Test (2015)
• Hits Deep Live (2016)
• Light of Christmas (2017)
• The Elements (2018)
• The Lost Demos (EP, 2020)
• Live in Denver (2021)
• Life After Death (2022)

He’s also earned a plethora of awards for his solo work, as well as his contributions to DC Talk.

Also, check out my reviews of Scars (Come With Livin’), The Slam, Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight), Feel It, Til the Day I Die, and I Just Need U.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Tobymac-light-of-christmas-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

TobyMac contrasts the trappings of worldly Christmas ideology with generous giving and the true meaning of Christmas: worship.

As with many Christmas songs, it talks about the singing angels. It’s possible that the angels were singing, though the case for it is not strong (see section 2).  This affects the song’s Biblical accuracy, but not its overall message.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Almost all of it aligns with Scripture, except for, once again, the singing angels.

Seriously people, can we stop with the singing angels?  It’s not supported in Scripture.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-12: Describes the trappings of Western ideology of what our secular society thinks Christmas is about, alongside TobyMac’s efforts to help the poor by giving away free gloves so their hands won’t freeze.

Lines 13-16: References the Salvation Army representative outside of malls, convenience stores, and department stores. They ring their bell, occasionally dress up as Santa Claus, and wish people a merry Christmas. They are there to remind us that Christmas is not about me, but that we should use this time to be generous to those in need (Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 22:9, and 2 Corinthians 9:7).

[Refrain]

Lines 1-4: See commentary on Verse 1, lines 13-16.

Lines 5-8: Repeats lines 1-4.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-5: TobyMac is excited about the Christmas season and will tell us what Christmas is all about.

Line 6: Calls out to Casper the friendly ghost.

Line 7: Repeats line 6.

[Verse 2]

LInes 1-4: See commentary on Verse 1, lines 1-12.

Line 5: Essentially repeats Chorus, line 6.

[Bridge]

Lines 1 and 2: This is one of the most prevalent traditions that is unsupported by scripture: the singing angels!

According to Luke 2:13-14, there was a multitude of angels exalting Jesus. Though there were heavenly hosts and they announced the birth of Jesus, Scripture does not support that they were singing. Take a good look at Luke 2:13. It says “saying”. It comes from the Koine Greek word “legó”, which means “to say”. That doesn’t mean that angels can’t sing (Job 38:7’s “morning stars” could be seen as angels), but the text doesn’t say that they sang.

As for the Koine Greek term Aineo (to praise), according to Bible Study Tools, praiseworthy singing is a possible translation for this word. However, no major translation translates it with singing in mind.

Lines 3 and 4: Christmas is about bowing down to God according to TobyMac.  He’s completely right!  We’ve been told to “remember the reason for the season”, but that is only half of the answer.  We must also worship Him.  Does TobyMac need to mention the birth of Jesus?  I think Christians and unbelievers alike are familiar with this famous account that TobyMac need not mention it explicitly, even if I personally preferred that He did.  The angels praised Him (Luke 2:13-14).  So did the shepherds (Luke 2:20) and the Magi (Matthew 2:11).  We should too.

Lines 5-8: Repeats lines 1-4.

[Outro]

Lines 1-5: Combines parts of Chorus and Refrain.

Score: 9/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unbelievers will hear a fresh message about the true meaning of Christmas.  They are often told that Christmas is about remembering what Jesus did for us.  TobyMac takes it a step further.  His claim is about prostrating ourselves before Him, as exampled by the angelic hosts, the shepherds, and the Magi.  They will also be reminded to strongly consider giving generously to those in need, with language that they will easily comprehend.  “God Almighty” is the object of our worship, which, combined with the word “Christmas”, points them directly to Jesus.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

Singing angels aside, this song glorifies God by reminding us to give to the poor and remember to proclaim to God His value and worth.

Score: 9/10

Closing Comments

TobyMac’s Light of Christmas is catchy.  It reminds us that the reason for Christmas is not the trappings that we’re accustomed to.  Not that there’s anything wrong with building a snowman or decorating one’s house.  But, this song reminds us to worship Him, which is the true meaning of Christmas.  This brings Him glory.  Unbelievers will catch this easily.  However, we could do without the singing angels.

This song is potentially useful for teaching during a church service, but not suitable for corporate worship.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Light of Christmas (listen to the song)

Artist: TobyMac (Feat. Owl City)

Album: Light of Christmas

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

Release Year: 2017

Duration: 3:45

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