Music for the Waiting: Rediscovering the Sound of Advent

Most of us associate December with Christmas music, joyful carols, bright melodies, and familiar refrains that fill stores, streets, and homes. But before the celebration of Christmas comes the quiet season of Advent, and it has a soundtrack all its own. I didn’t know this when I first began exploring the beauty of the liturgical calendar. Like many, I moved straight from Thanksgiving dinner to “Joy to the World.”

But Advent has its own songs, ancient and yearning for a coming king who will set the world to rights. They are full of hope and longing. And when we make space for them, they shape our hearts for the season ahead.

Why Advent Music Matters

Advent music sets a tone that’s intentionally different from Christmas music. While carols celebrate Christ’s birth, Advent hymns recognize the world’s deep longing for redemption. They give voice to our waiting, our desire for light, healing, and peace in a world that still groans under the weight of darkness.

Take the ancient hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. With its haunting melody and scriptural lyrics, it reflects the ache of Israel, and of all of us, for a Savior.

O come, O come Emmanuel,And ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appear.

The refrain, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel”—perfectly captures the paradox of Advent: joy promised, but not yet fulfilled.

Another powerful Advent hymn is Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending. It shifts our gaze from Bethlehem to Christ’s second coming in glory, reminding us that Advent is about more than looking back. It’s about looking ahead.

Lo! He comes with clouds descending,Once for our salvation slain;Thousand thousand saints attendingSwell the triumph of His train.Alleluia! God appears on earth to reign.

Advent hymns invite us to feel the weight of our waiting, and to hope more deeply because of it.

Resisting the Pull of Christmas Music

I’ll admit, it’s not easy to resist Christmas music in December. It’s everywhere, from radio stations to store speakers, and it’s easy to get swept up in its cheer. But by embracing Advent music during this season of preparation, we create a sense of space and anticipation that allows Christmas to shine even brighter when it comes.

In our home, we wait until Christmas Eve to begin playing Christmas carols. Throughout Advent, we focus on music that reflects the themes of longing, waiting, and expectation. And when the first notes of O Come All Ye Faithful ring out at our Christmas Eve service, they feel weighty and meaningful in a new way, because we’ve been waiting for them.

Advent Playlists to Enrich the Season

To help you make room for the songs of this season, I’ve created two playlists, one traditional, one contemporary. You can listen while lighting candles on your Advent wreath, driving to school, or reflecting quietly in the evening. These songs are companions for your waiting.

Traditional Advent Playlist

This playlist features beloved hymns that have been sung by Christians for generations. Songs like Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence and O Come, Divine Messiah connect us to the long hope of the Church throughout the centuries. They offer a sense of reverence, stillness, and deep theological richness.

Contemporary Advent Playlist

This playlist highlights modern songs that echo the themes of Advent in fresh and thoughtful ways. Artists like Andrew Peterson, Audrey Assad, and Mission House bring the longing of the season into today’s musical language. It’s a beautiful way to experience the same deep truths with a modern voice.

Advent music is a quiet gift. It helps us pause. It gives voice to our waiting. And it roots us in the sacred tension of the season, that Christ has come, and yet we still long for His coming again.

By making space for Advent music now, we prepare our hearts more fully for Christmas. The joy, when it comes, will not feel rushed or routine. It will feel earned. It will feel real.

So this Advent, I invite you to let these songs fill your home, your heart, and your family’s rhythms. Light a candle, sit in the quiet, and listen. Let the music lead you deeper into the season.

Do you have a favorite Advent hymn or playlist? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

HUGE DISCLAIMER! - I get it, it can be hard to give up Christmas music and only listen to Advent music during Advent. A solution that we came up with was to let our kids listen to secular Christmas music all they wanted to during Advent because songs like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” have nothing to do with Jesus and then we added in lots of Advent hymns.