Carols: O Holy Night

This is part 1 of the Redemption Christmas series where we talk about some of the most popular hymns and discuss what the lyrics really mean to us, as believers. Enjoy. Pastor Jonathan. Oh Holy Night

O 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 world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born

This song was put together in 1847 by Adolphe Adam based on a French poem by a French wine merchant named Placide Cappeau. By 1855 a pastor named John Sullivan Dwight wrote the English version of the song. Some interesting facts about this song: On December 24, 1906, the first ever AM radio broadcast started with a record of Handel’s “Ombra mai fu” and then “O Holy Night,” in violin, as performed in this background. Oh Holy Night was the second song to ever be played on the radio. Just imagine the scene– O Holy Night—the night when Christ was born. A Manger because there was no room available (80 to 120 mi). This is where a “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. One word captures the mood of most I know—weary. Thrill of hope—weary world rejoices—new and glorious morning” A NEW AND GLORIOUS MORNING After fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC—prophet Jeremiah writes Lamentations. It’s a book about pain, suffering and sadness. O Holy Night is about how in the morning after our darkest day, there is God’s love for us. How amazing is that? Let’s look at verses 21-23 again. You see, 2000 years ago there was little hope for the Israelite people. They had returned to Israel but they were living under Roman rule. They didn’t have the autonomy of being a free nation. They were under the rule of oppression and tyranny. They could not do as they would freely, to practice their religion, to judge themselves. Worse yet, they had no hope that God would rescue them. Then Jesus was born. When Jesus was born, a new day began. The Savior, the Christ brings a new morning, a brand new start, a fresh beginning. There are three things that this song reminds us of in Lamentations 3.

20 I will remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:20-26)

A New Day with Christ brings exactly what you need. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lam 3:24) Jesus is exactly what we need, when we need it. In the LORD’s prayer, we pray– give us today our daily bread. We don’t pray, give us today tomorrow’s bread. Just like manna where anything more than the needed daily portion rots– Jesus is more than enough. We need a new day with Jesus every single day. Perhaps that’s what you’re missing out on in your life. Maybe it’s perpetually night time in your life because you don’t have Jesus every single day. Maybe the comfort that you need to your hurting is Jesus. Maybe he is the joy you need to bring you up when you’re feeling down. Maybe he is your strength when you are weak. Maybe, he is the way you seek when you’re lost. You won’t know until you wait for Him and take Him as your portion. A New Day with Christ brings the hope to keep going. 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him… (Lam 3:25) The song says, “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,” Live 40 days w/o food, 8 water, 4 oxygen—few seconds w/o hope. Hoping in stock market is a gamble. If you don’t believe, just watch the next time the stock market melts down. It happens every seven years or every two years, the way our economy is going. Companies are unreliable– just open the newspaper and find out what company commit what type of evil and you’ll know better.  And to hope on a single person is dumb. Everybody lets you down. I let people down. People let me down. It happens all the time, that’s why we have mommy and daddy issues when we grow up. It’s the reason we don’t trust anybody with our whole lives. Come on now. However, if our hope is in Jesus who is, was and always will be, then there’s nothing we need to keep going on with our lives. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Say this with me: “Letting go of hope and holding onto the fears is the best way to be a dope. Letting go of fear, and holding on to hope is the only way to steer.” Isn’t it amazing the difference just one day can make? Lazurus dead for 4 days—Jesus raised him from the dead. Woman with an issue of blood for 12 years—healed. 38 year old man—healed at pool. These three stories have one thing in common– on a brand new day, they encountered Jesus. They lived in darkness of night until Jesus intervened on in their lives. There was a brand new day. Jesus is the help you are seeking. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. The sad thing about this song is that the author knew about the story of Jesus, but he didn’t know Jesus. He lived in perpetual night. Don’t let that be your story– to know the story but not be a part of it. Let’s pray.