The Light of Christmas {O Holy Night}

Just in time for Christmas, the snow has faithfully fallen, covering this northern land with a blanket of white. The landscape is peppered black and white with trees their branches hanging low laden with snow.

To celebrate the season, I'd like to sing you a song, my favorite Christmas carol. It goes like this.....

O Holy Night

Ok. I'll spare you my singing. I'd like you to come back again sometime.

This writing of a whole continuous story over the last few weeks has been quite an adventure and full of surprises, for I knew not where this was headed when I started. I have never done such a thing as this before, yet the Lord is gracious, and done it and has brought you along for this Christmas journey.

It does seem fitting to sing "O Holy Night" for our conclusion, don't you think? The words really summarize everything we've talked about in the Light of Christmas. Maybe you're like me and have sung this song all your life long and yet never gave one thought to the words. So instead of singing it, let’s just read it, and let the words really sink in to our hearts and minds.

O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth

It was a holy night because God came to earth.  Emmanuel, God with us.  His mere presence made the night holy.

Long lay the world
In sin and error pining

We wonder aimless, in sin and darkness.  Pining refers to the suffering of mental and physical decline, but also refers to a deep longing for the return of something.  Unable to fulfil our purpose, the reason we were created, we lay pining for something we can’t grasp.

Till He appeared
And the soul felt its worth

The thrill of hope
A weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks
A new and glorious morn

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace

He did not come to condemn the world but to save the world and to bring peace, completion (you know, the thing we’re pining for).

Chains shall He break
For the slave is our brother
And in His name
All oppression shall cease

One day, one glorious final day, all oppression shall cease, injustice shall be no more.

One day, one glorious final day, all mankind will cry out:

Christ is the Lord

And finally and forever, those of us who have chosen to accept His merciful gift will be able to do what we have been created to do:

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name;
Christ is the Lord, Oh, praise His name forever!
His powr and glory evermore proclaim!
His powr and glory evermore proclaim!

Indeed it is a holy night.  So whether you have a blanket of pure white down fallen from heaven covering the brown death of fall, or whether your grass is green and flowers are blooming, won’t you stop, pause, reflect,

On the beautiful, humble mystery

That 2,000 years ago

Eternal God became a man

For one purpose

To die for you

So that you may live with Him

Forever.

Fall on your knees,

Oh, hear the angels voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

 

Here's a beautiful version if you'd like a listen: