In 1847, a parish priest in France
It says that when God came among us in the shape and form of Jesus, suddenly “the soul felt its worth!” We cannot mirror ourselves; we all must be mirrored by another. When God mirrored us through the entrance, invitation, and eyes of Jesus, the certainty of our redemption was once and for all given and accomplished. We needed nothing further to reveal God's intentions toward us. We were already saved by the gaze from the manger.
We sing further of “a thrill of hope” and a “new and glorious morn.” Again, as poets and musicians so often do! Much of the conscious or unconscious sentiment of this feast is that at Christmas, on some wonderful level, the soul finally and forever does feel its worth.
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 soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O 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 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!
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 pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
No comments:
Post a Comment