Saturday, December 24
 
“O Holy Night”
 
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
 
Many artists have recorded O Holy Night including Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and even my personal favorite Elmer Fudd. Legend even states that it was the first song played on the radio. However, the story of its origin is fascinating in and of itself. In 1847 a local Priest in France asked an atheist poet Placide Cappeau to write something for Christmas mass. He wrote a poem and was so happy with it he asked Adolphe Charles Adams, a practicing Jew to write the music. One of the wonders of our Christmas time originated from two individuals who professed no faith in Christ. Once the church discovered those facts, the song was actually banned in the French church.
 
Fast forward a few years, an American abolitionist named John Sullivan Dwight discovered the song and rewrote the lyrics to what we know today. Dwight poetically nails an explanation of the Gospel in the first stanza.
 
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth
 
The world laid in sin and error due to man’s faults. The world was in another word lost. However, upon Christ’s appearing, the soul of man finally has its purpose in its redeemer. God through Christ made the world whole.
 
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn’
 
Dwight goes further in the next line. He indicates there is a thrill of hope and that the weary world rejoices. Consider the state of the world prior to Christ. In Galatians Chapter 3 Paul tells us we were bound to sin. In Romans Chapter 3 Paul tells us we are all sinners and that the punishment for sin is death. No wonder the world is weary, we were bound to something that leads us to eternal damnation and separation from God. But God during the appointed hour sends our thrill of hope and a new morning breaks. As David says in Psalm 30, God’s anger lasts for a moment, our sorrow only for a moment and our joy, our hope comes in the morning. That Hope is Christ as Dwight so poetically explains.
 
Finally what should then our response be to our Redeemer. Once again, the carol here is instructive I think.
 
FALL ON YOUR KNEES
 
Dwight indicates that we should Fall on our knees in an act of worship. So for this Christmas perhaps instead of focusing on our weariness, business and divisions, we should simply fall on our knees and worship our redeemer.
 
Benjy Overby
 
 
Musician — Nancy Webster