Advent Longing / Christmas Joy: New 100-Song Playlist

One thing I love about the Advent season is that it welcomes the whole range of human emotions. Advent fully embraces our agonized longing for hope on the other side of present pain. Our world is rife with sin, sickness, and suffering. We groan—along with all creation (Rom. 8:22)—for deliverance. And even as we know the light of the world already came and our hope is secure, the world’s darkness feels oppressive and life’s burdens feel weighty. So we long for the second coming of Christ. We ache for war to give way to peace, tension to resolve, everything sad to come untrue. Advent welcomes this longing.

But of course, Advent longing isn’t the full story of this season. We also have the unadulterated joy of Christmas: the festive season of all festive seasons, when we rightly celebrate the “good news of great joy” that our Savior is born (Luke 2:10), that the true light, “which gives light to everyone,” came into the world (John 1:9). This means we can be confident that sin and death will not have the last word. Jesus conquered both. We can be honest about the darkness in our world while having buoyant assurance that the light of Christ shines in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it (John 1:5).

Advent fully embraces our agonized longing for hope on the other side of present pain.

It’d be wrong to only experience this season with a melancholy spirit of agonized groaning. Because Christ came! Likewise, it would be odd to pretend that all is merry and bright and that sadness has no place in this season. Because Christ is coming again! (But not yet.)

That’s why, for The Gospel Coalition’s Advent playlist this year, I decided to embrace the pull of the two poles of Christmastime emotion: longing and joy. The 100 songs in the playlist are structured in two halves: 50 songs evoke the sober mood of Advent longing, and 50 songs lean more into the festive joy of Christmas.

Listen to the playlist now on Spotify or Apple Music.

Depending on your temperament or season in life, you may gravitate toward the mellow, plaintive first half of the playlist or to the more exultant, upbeat second half. That’s fine. But I’d encourage you to listen to all 100 songs at some point this December. Let their artistry guide you through the beautiful range of “already, not yet” worship between Christ’s two advents: groaning and gratitude, aching and adoration, reflection and celebration, minor falls and major lifts.

May these songs minister to you in the downs and ups of this season, stirring your heart’s affections toward the Son we were given: our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).

Part I: Advent Longing

1. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” Hillside Recording, Eliza King
2. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” The Gray Havens
3. “Emmanuel,” Future of Forestry
4. “Come to Us O Lord,” Young Oceans
5. “Come Jesus Come,” Stephen McWhirter
6. “Lord Jesus Come,” Caleb Crino
7. “Deliver Us,” Andrew Peterson, Scott Mulvahill
8. “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” Sarah Sparks
9. “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” John Van Deusen
10. “Where the Light Is Gone,” The Wood Drake Sessions, Kirk Sauers
11. “Benedictus,” The Porter’s Gate, Nick Chambers, Pages CXVI
12. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” Wilder Adkins
13. “Christmas Bells,” Joel Ansett
14. “O Day of Peace That Dimly Shines,” Claire Holley
15. “Carol I, Desire of Nations, Come,” Providence
16. “Lord Remind Me,” Jon Guerra, Praytell
17. “Snow,” Sleeping at Last
18. “Silent Night,” Manchester Orchestra
19. “Still, Still, Still,” Anna Palfreeman
20. “Branch of Blessing,” Andrew Joseph Connell
21. “Jesus, Messiah,” Providence
22. “God Bless Us Every One,” Haddon, Jimmy Clifton, Will Clifton
23. “Little Drummer Boy,” John Van Deusen
24. “White Horse,” Over the Rhine
25. “Until He Comes Again,” Sandra McCracken, Andrew Osenga
26. “Christmas Communion Song,” Paul Zach, Lauren Plank Goans
27. “O Magnum Mysterium,” Morten Lauridsen, Vienna Brass Connection
28. “The Advent Song,” Future of Forestry
29. “Come, Lord Jesus, Come,” Steve Thorngate
30. “Come Thou Almighty King,” Advent Birmingham, Sarah Hydinger
31. “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” Poor Bishop Hooper
32. “O Jerusalem,” The Porter’s Gate, Greg Thompson
33. “Felt,” Andrew Joseph Connell
34. “With Death in Mind,” Ordinary Time
35. “You Were Born to Die,” Providence
36. “Here/Now,” Joshua Leventhal
37. “Our God Came Down to Us,” Sarah Sparks
38. “Every Valley (It’s Hard to Wait),” Rain for Roots, Flo Paris
39. “Hope for Soon,” The Calendar Years
40. “Soon,” Brooke Ligertwood
41. “Father Winter,” Pacific Gold
42. “See Amid the Winter’s Snow,” Thomas Aston, One Hope Project
43. “Once in Royal David’s City,” Sandra McCracken, Matt Papa, Laura Story
44. “The Christmas Song,” Vince Guaraldi Trio
45. “It Came upon a Midnight Clear,” Over the Rhine
46. “O Holy Night,” Josh Garrels
47. “This Is the Truth Sent from Above,” Choir of King’s College
48. “Silent Night,” Brian Fallon
49. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” Future of Forestry
50. “O Come All Ye Faithful,” Ben Fuller

Part II: Christmas Joy

1. “Joy to the World,” Aretha Franklin
2. “O Come All Ye Faithful,” Kingdom Kids, Shane & Shane
3. “Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee,” Maverick City Music
4. “Oh for Joy,” Folk Hymnal
5. “Ding Dong Merrily On High,” Rend Collective
6. “Christmas Morning,” The McClures
7. “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” The Gray Havens
8. “Magnificent, Marvelous, Matchless Love,” Keith & Kristyn Getty
9. “O Holy Night,” TAYA
10. “Hope Is Alive,” Ellie Holcomb
11. “Jesus Christ Is Born,” Mac Powell
12. “Christ Is Born,” Mill City Music
13. “In the Fullness of Time,” Matt Boswell, Matt Papa
14. “Baby Son,” John Mark McMillan
15. “Ways,” Jason Hofer
16. “Jesus Born on this Day,” Mariah Carey
17. “O What a King,” Katy Nichole
18. “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” Mahalia Jackson
19. “Ring Them Bells,” Ben Fuller, Jonathan Traylor
20. “Deck the Halls,” Forrest Frank
21. “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” Folk Angel
22. “Come Adore the Humble King,” Matt Boswell, Matt Papa
23. “O Come All Ye Faithful,” Johnnyswim
24. “Good Christian Men Rejoice, Rejoice,” John Fahey
25. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” Keith & Kristyn Getty
26. “It Came upon a Midnight Clear,” Sandra McCracken, Joseph Bradshaw
27. “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” Nathan Drake
28. “Away in a Manger,” Forrest Frank
29. “The First Noel,” Special Musick
30. “Little Drummer Boy,” Blessing Offor
31. “What Child Is This,” Andrea von Kampen
32. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” Jeremy Riddle
33. “Magnificat (Glory to God),” Tenielle Neda, Jon Guerra, Praytell
34. “Excelsis Deo,” CalledOut Music
35. “Joy Has Dawned / Angels We Have Heard on High,” Keith & Kristyn Getty
36. “Joy to the World,” The Gray Havens
37. “Joy (As Far as the Curse Is Found),” Caroline Cobb
38. “Away in a Manger (All Glory to Jesus),” Sovereign Grace Music
39. “Manger Throne,” Phil Wickham
40. “Come, Let Us Gather,” Jonathan and Emily Martin
41. “O Come All You Unfaithful,” Travis Cottrell, Brooke Voland
42. “All Things Are Possible (Gabriel),” Melanie Penn
43. “Glad Tidings,” Ellie Holcomb
44. “Hallelujah, Christ Is Born,” Caroline Cobb
45. “Hallelujah,” Chris Tomlin, Blessing Offor
46. “Handel’s Messiah,” Jenny & Tyler
47. “Immanuel,” Beautiful Eulogy
48. “Joy to the World (Joyful, Joyful),” Shane & Shane, Phil Wickham
49. “Who Would Have Dreamed,” Sovereign Grace Music
50. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” Kings Kaleidoscope