O Holy Night

O 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, O night when Christ was born! O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand; So led by the 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!

Another of the carols, this one of French origin, which announces the good news of the gospel.  While this song has been around since the 19th century, its popularity has grown close to that of "most familiar" carols within the last half century.  Let's look at its message.

The night of the Saviors birth is the central theme of the first verse, and we get the sense of the quietness associated with the events of the evening. And then in a world that suffered because of sin and error, HE appeared.  I like that line in the song, "He appeared and the soul felt its worth."  He is our hope and our joy as we fall to our knees in worship and praise of the newborn King of kings. 

In the second verse, we are given the opportunity, led by the light of faith, to stand beside the cradle of Jesus, the King of kings. That lowly baby in the manger of Bethlehem was visited by those from the east, and in him they saw his association with our trials while becoming our friend.  He is the one that knows our need and in his flesh he knows our pains, sorrows and weakness. It is here the song says, "Behold your King."

The application of the gospel is seen in the last verse. The gospel which calls us to love God and love one another.  We are those who are living under the law of love and the gospel of peace. The slave's chains are broken and he is our brother. Because we are part of God's family we can praise his name with all that is in us. "Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever! His power and glory evermore proclaim!"

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