The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.- Isaiah 9:2
"O Holy Night" came on the radio for the gazillionth time earlier this week and I mumbled to Jim about how it was probably my least favorite carol. Then I asked him which was his favorite. "O Holy Night!" he said! And we had a really great conversation around its music and its theology.
First, I learned this week that the author of the poem, Placide Cappeau, was likely an atheist! It may seem surprising but I've long learned that many great religious works were composted or written by people who struggled with or had given up on their faith. In some cases, their art reflects what they believed faith should be and what it lacked in their day. I find this an amazing story of how God uses anybody and everybody to tell the good news.
I realized my boredom with the hymn was with the very musically dramatic "fall on your knees!" The music to me as a bit romantic and I struggle with that in music. However, I also found myself humming the first verse most of the week. Then I realized what really captures me about O Holy Night and that it actually is one of my favorite carols:
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
If it ever felt that the world lay "in sin and error pining," hearing the news today would make it seem those words were written for this moment. But the prophet tells us that it is in darkness that God's light shines. God doesn't come to heal a tidy, well-behaved, and faithful world. God comes to us precisely because of our messiness, our errors, our weariness, and our doubts and questions. What a great gift of God!
Salvation is not about us and our perfection, but about God's deep and profound love for us that is capable of healing and transforming us even in our darkest ways!
So yes, a thrill of hope for a weary world to rejoice. That is the meaning of Christmas. God loves us profoundly, deeply, and eternally, and God breaks into our messiness even in the most vulnerable ways to grab our attention and walk us toward new light and new life.
May you be thrilled by joy and hope in this most holy of seasons.
Blessings always,
Dirk+