Scripture: Exodus 20:18-26
Hymn of the Day – “O Holy Night”
Author: Adolphe Adam
"O Holy Night!"
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night, O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
Led by the light of a star 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!
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! O Praise His Name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
Based on: Luke 2:4-20
“Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them,
‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men!’
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them." (NKJ)
Meditation - “Behold Your King!”
O Holy Night is a beautiful and haunting French Christmas carol. Its melody was written by Adolphe Adam, a composer born in Paris in 1803. It is yet another carol in a long line of them that is based on the Nativity story as told by Luke in Chapter 2 of his Gospel.
Legend has it that on Christmas Eve in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the French and German soldiers were facing one another in opposite trenches. Things were extremely tense, and deadly fighting was less than a whisper of a command to “Fire at will!” away. Both sides were hyper-alert for any sign of activity on the other side. None of the soldiers wanted to be the first to fire, but none of them wanted to be caught off guard, fired upon, and almost certainly killed in battle.
Suddenly there was a slight movement on the French side as a very young French soldier leaped from his trench and startled everyone, French and Germans alike, by singing in a loud clear voice, the Cantique de Noel or "O Holy Night".
When he had finished singing the three verses of this gorgeous carol, there was a silence so loud that it was like cannon-fire. Not a shot was fired by the Germans, so surprised were they at events unfolding before them. Not to be outdone, a German officer stepped forward and sang Luther’s hymn,
"From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”.
Unfortunately, there is no further entry into the story, or at least none that has survived the telling of the legend as it has come down to us. We don’t know whether that particular battle ever took place, whether the soldiers came out of their trenches and embraced one another as brothers, or whether, indeed, the command was given to “Fire at will!” following this amazing display of courage and inspiration on the part of “both” soldiers. I wish I knew more about what the outcome was.
My imagination, of course, wants to allow me to believe that something of a miracle took place in those trenches on that battlefield that night. The first Christmas night, about which this carol is written, was certainly one full of miracles. I’d like to believe that the same softness of heart that prompted young, frightened shepherds to leave all and rush to Bethlehem to behold the King of Kings come to earth, is what prompted the young, frightened French soldier to take his chances with being shot to death, and come forward to sing this haunting carol.
I’d like to think that the same softness of heart that prompted both shepherds and soldier to face their fears and act anyway to express their love for the tiny King was strong enough in its tenderness to stop that battle dead in its tracks, and perhaps even change the hearts and minds of all present.
I “don’t” know these things, however much I might wish I did. I can’t tell you anymore about what happened that night in the trenches of a battle in the Franco-Prussian War. What I can do is to recommend to you a careful reading of the words of this carol that so many list as their “favorite” of the Christmas Season. In verse one we have an account of the night with its bright shining stars and its stillness and beauty. We see a bit of historical background about the times in which the carol was written in the words “Long lay the world in sin and error pining”. I was struck as at no other time in my remembrance with the meaning of the next line – “’Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth."
I am left wondering how often I have ever actually understood the “worth of a soul” – of my soul? What am I worth to Jesus? How can I ever really “feel” my worth, especially since I am much more often given to running myself down and to blindness toward my own worth. If I cannot feel my own soul’s worth, am I able to see the inherent worth of the souls of those around me?
Goodness, I hope so! I’m not sure that I do, so this gives me something to ponder in my heart, even as Mary pondered the events of that holy night. Do you have a sense of the worth of your soul to Jesus and to the work of the kingdom of God on earth?
In the second verse we find more of the story of shepherds leaving their flocks and following the starlight to stand with glowing hearts before the cradle of the Infant King. There is more of the story of Wise Men from ancient lands also being led by the light of a star to the cradle of the Child. We see the King of Kings in a lowly manger. It is here, in the middle of the second verse, that we find the reason for Jesus’ birth. “In all our trials, born to be our Friend! He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger.”
Born to be our Friend in all our trials! He already knows what we need, and He is not put off by our weaknesses, which He already knows also. What a wonderful assurance there is in these few words from the pen of a poet. That God would send His only Son away from Himself in order to be my Friend and your Friend, especially when we treat Him rather callously much of the time, failing to appreciate exactly what it means to have such a friend. (I am reminded of another hymn right here – I found a Friend, o such a Friend. He loved me ‘ere I knew Him …”) I will find myself thinking, long after the Christmas boxes are packed away and Winter turns into Spring, about this Gift of God who knows my needs before I do, and who sticks with me no matter what my weaknesses may be! Oh, to be such a friend in His name to someone else!
In the third verse are found some of the most important lyrics in all of hymnody, in my opinion. “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.” He has, indeed, come to us to teach us to love one another. We aren’t here to engage in conflicts and wars with one another, but to love. In His name we are to love all humankind, and to do all in our power to break the chains that bind any of us, be they chains of iron, or more subtle chains of attitude. It is much easier to take a hacksaw and break an iron chain that shackles a man’s leg than it is to find the tools to break the chains of the heart – attitude, prejudice, greed, selfishness – you can name them as well as I can – but that is our call. We are to follow Christ and spread His message of love and peace. Christ is the Lord! Behold your King!
Prayer – Dear Father, that my soul might be worthy is such an awesome thought that I wonder if I can attain it! Thank you so much for sending Christ Jesus into this world to break the chains that bind each of us and to teach us His law of love and His Gospel of peace. Help us to be willing as the shepherds were to leave all and come to the manger to behold our King, that we may more closely and faithfully follow Him wherever He may lead us. Amen~
Activity - Organize your bookshelves. If looking for a book in your library or office is an exercise in futility, and you wish you’d gotten a librarian for Christmas, maybe it’s time to “do-it-yourself” and get things in order!
