December 22, 2023

O Holy Night is easily my favorite Christmas carol. Well, technically, it isn't known as a carol. And it's not officially a hymn; it doesn't appear in many hymnals. “Sacred song” is maybe the best term I've heard. But whatever label anyone wants to give it, O Holy Night has an interesting history. Like many intriguing pieces of history, and like lots of good theology - like Mary’s The Magificat, which we heard last Sunday and will hear again this Sunday morning - the story of O Holy Night involves twists and turns and political challenges by a world that sometimes misses the countercultural message of Jesus. Like the message of Jesus often is, O Holy Night was tangled for a time with human power struggles. It even survived a ban by the church.

Aside from the exquisite melody and the chills I get when I hear this song sung well, the lyrics themselves are a balm and a comfort to my heart, which indeed can feel weary at times, heavy with the struggles of the world. The lyrics invoke a theology that speaks of love and liberation flowing from something beyond ourselves. Our human struggles - the conflict, division, inequity, bitterness, resentment, even hatred that humanity wrestles with far too often – are real. Also real is the presence of something bigger than we are; an energy flow of love and light and yes, a thrill of hope.

My prayer for you this week is for hope to show up for you as tangible and real. My prayer is that whatever makes you most weary, whatever it is you struggle with most deeply, can be soothed, even just slightly, with our Holy Night. My prayer is for you to feel some piece, however large or small, of the thrill that comes with knowing that For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…