WORSHIP LEADERS
A NEW CHRISTMAS SONG:“ HIS NAME IS JESUS” | Grant Norsworthy
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
I think it was mid-November when my pastor mentioned that he’ d like to add a new Christmas song to our Sunday services and special Christmas events leading up to December 25. Ideally, one that the children could easily sing and enjoy.
He didn’ t have a specific song in mind but hoped I’ d know of one- or at least could find one- to add to our church’ s Christmas repertoire.
A new Christmas song for kids!? One that wouldn’ t turn off the rest of the congregation- or the singers and instrumentalists who’ d have to present it?
On first consideration, that felt like a very tall order.
Christian kids’ music certainly has its place, but personally I’ m not a fan. At least from what I’ ve heard, the melodies, lyrics, and instrumentation can be cheesy, repetitive, predictable, and shallow. Children’ s music often drives adults around the twist- certainly not suitable for repeated use in all-ages church services!
And while I’ m aware that a fresh crop of
Christmas songs is released each year, I haven’ t found many( any?) that I’ m excited to add to my repertoire- even the ones written for adults.
Besides, let’ s be honest: Christmas songs seem to need a healthy dose of nostalgia to connect well. An almost-ancient copyright date is practically a prerequisite and a big part of their appeal.
“ Joy to the World,”“ Angels We Have Heard on High,”“ The First Noel,”“ Silent Night.” In my opinion, these old bangers are the ones that consistently hit the mark for most people at Christmas. But upon reflection, I realized my pastor had identified a need I had overlooked: most of these classics aren’ t easy to sing, and they often use older English that can feel less relatable- especially for kids.
NOTE: While Christmas music here in New Zealand is heavily influenced by northern hemisphere traditions, we’ re in the southern hemisphere. Christmas happens during the heat of summer. So carols like“ In the Bleak Midwinter” and“ Jingle Bells” just don’ t land well.
My wife and I talked about our pastor’ s request.
While I had absolutely no ideas for a suitable song, she reminded me of the Nashville-based collective Rain for Roots and their wonderful albums we used to play for our kids when they were younger. Back when we lived in Nashville, some of the Rain for Roots crew were part of our own church community, so their music carries a special connection for us. Thankfully, some of their songs are about Christmas!
One song in particular stood out immediately:“ Jesus Is Born” from the album Big Stories for Little Ones. Released back in 2012, it’ s not new, of course- but it would be new to our church family.
With only a subtle modification to make it more easily singable for our congregation, we added“ Jesus Is Born” to our weekend services and Christmas events starting in late November. It has been warmly and enthusiastically received by all ages- and by our pastor. So much so that I wanted to share it with you as well. Maybe you’ ll be able to add it to your repertoire this Christmas, or next.
Though the melody is wonderfully singable and the lyrics very simple, this is a beautiful song- artistically rich and not at all cheesy. I genuinely
32 December 2025 Subscribe for Free...