“O Holy Night” Revisited

O-Holy-Night-1140x641Luke 2:10-11 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” [ESV]

Taxes…lots of taxes. Political power on steroids. A religious establishment frayed and fragmented.  Misguided zealots fueling chaos and violence. Life in the 21st century has obviously advanced since the days of Jesus’ birth, but I find it hard to dismiss the similarities between the two. The world described in Adolphe Adam’s classic “O Holy Night” could not be more applicable than in the present…

Ours is a world that still lay in sin and error. We pine, we long, for something or Someone to appear that offers us a sense of worth. We yearn for the dawning of a new and glorious morning.  Because we’re a weary world…just as they were two thousand years ago.

Two thousand years ago, an ordinary night became a holy night. Something revolutionary took place. Thrilling hope replaced dim despair. Good news for all people came in a most unexpected way. And a weary world rejoiced at His appearing.

He appeared then—and He appears now. Not by the light of a shining star or in the confines of swaddling clothes, but yes, He comes, and His divine intervention brings great joy….

A woman in Ferguson, Missouri who invests her life savings to open a bakery gets caught in the crosshairs of racial tension and loses everything in the riots. A single mother of two, she has no other income than that provided by her fledgling business. People across the country hear about her plight and within two weeks over $178,000 is donated to help her rebuild. And a weary world rejoices.

A bomb threat that would have killed hundreds of innocent people is exposed. And a weary world rejoices. Prodigal children who have left their faith to find something sexier in the world realize their folly and return to the truth. And a weary world (of parents) rejoices. Crowded malls filled with exhausted, package-laden customers are invaded with holiday flash mobs to the tune of “The Hallelujah Chorus.” And a weary world (of shoppers) rejoices.

Let’s look for His appearing this season. And as they did on that first holy night, let’s rejoice. When we see him, let’s fall on our knees and rejoice.

 

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