O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of
Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie ! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent
stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light; The hopes
and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of
Mary, And gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch
of wondering love. O morning stars, Together Proclaim the holy birth, And
praises sing to God the King, And peace to men on earth.
How silently, how
silently The wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts The
blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him, still The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of
Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in
us today. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to
us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel!
Things have really been hopping in my town this week. As the
college football season comes to a close and before the championship bowl games
begin, numerous awards are given. Among them and perhaps the most prestigious, is
the Heisman Trophy. This year's winner
is from my town. There are signs of congratulations on a multitude of
businesses, not to mention bumper stickers and t-shirt wearers announcing this
great accomplishment. For a relatively
small town in Texas, there are big stirrings during this Christmas season. We
have a champion among us.
The little town of Bethlehem was quiet. The residents were
lost in sleep and dreams, the streets were quiet. Yet something important and
exciting was happening. In a busy little town that apparently had "rolled
up the sidewalks" and enjoying a night of rest, the Christ-child is being
born in human flesh.
The words of the song come from the personal experience of
Phillips Brooks as he saw the quietness of the Bethlehem on Christmas Eve in
1865. However his description becomes a precious announcement for our towns
today of the effect this birth has on the entire world. He is God's gift to us.
God is actually giving himself to mankind, in the form of his Son, the baby
born in Bethlehem.
The verses continue to tell us this is God imparting to our
human hearts, the blessings of His heaven. The real blessing is to those who
will receive him, as the Christ enters our individual lives. I shiver with the power of the message in
this song, and join with the writer in the prayer of the last verse:
O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin,
and enter in, Be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad
tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel!
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