Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices!
Oh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born!
Oh, night divine, oh, night, oh, night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
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 pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
The other day I heard a man being interviewed on a national network morning show say that Christmas is not just about seeing the baby in the manger but looking beyond the baby to our need for a Savior and the final redemption of the earth. This of course made the news anchors abit nervous and they hurried on to other things.
But it made me think.
There are so many good things around Christmas, and warm traditions that we all embrace (family, gift giving, food). But the song O Holy Night gets down to the core of why Jesus came to earth in the first place. Because the world, and our hearts, were in sin and error pining. We need redemption.
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices!
Oh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born!
Oh, night divine, oh, night, oh, night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
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 pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
The other day I heard a man being interviewed on a national network morning show say that Christmas is not just about seeing the baby in the manger but looking beyond the baby to our need for a Savior and the final redemption of the earth. This of course made the news anchors abit nervous and they hurried on to other things.
But it made me think.
There are so many good things around Christmas, and warm traditions that we all embrace (family, gift giving, food). But the song O Holy Night gets down to the core of why Jesus came to earth in the first place. Because the world, and our hearts, were in sin and error pining. We need redemption.
I also love the last verse, the picture of Christs power and glory being proclaimed through love, peace and an end of oppression. I want to be part of that!
So, while I fully intend to enjoy the good traditions of the holiday season, I want to be reminded more on Christmas of the gospel. That Jesus came as a baby in order to be the Savior and that one day He will return on the ultimate day of redemption. That give me a thrill of hope!
So, while I fully intend to enjoy the good traditions of the holiday season, I want to be reminded more on Christmas of the gospel. That Jesus came as a baby in order to be the Savior and that one day He will return on the ultimate day of redemption. That give me a thrill of hope!
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing that Sarah. I pray you will be filled with thrills of hope and joy as you celebrate. I was moved by the video clip on dad's weblog with the song Mary did you know?mom
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