Oh Holy Night
By Peggy Kleckner
“And there were
shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the
Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
Luke 2:8-10
(NIV)
As
Fresh Start writers this season, we were challenged to look into a Christmas
carol and write about what we found there. I chose “Oh Holy Night.”
Here
are the lyrics from the beginning of this song:
Midnight,
Christians, it is the solemn hour,
When God as man descended unto us
To erase the stain of original sin
And to end the wrath of His Father.
The entire world thrills with hope
On this night that gives it a
Saviour.
People kneel down, wait for your
deliverance.
Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,
Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!
I suppose we are all more familiar with this
version:
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,
'Til 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.[1]
In either case “midnight” or “night” is what
caught my attention. I am not fond of the dark. It can feel lonely and
frightening. Which is why I love the answer the song gives to the “night”
places of our lives. The “thrill of hope” is Jesus. In our seasons of life that
are similar to the night, we recognize the ugliness of our sins or that
particular sin that we just can’t seem to throw off. We are heartbroken that we
can’t clean ourselves up to greet Him and then suddenly it dawns on us, and our
weary soul realizes, of course, that is true. Why else would He have come?
Oh, how we should thrill at that
realization! Christmas is His answer. Our hope, our only hope, is Jesus. Into our
darkness breaks His glorious light. He came for us because He loves us and
because, on our own, we would remain in darkness.
This year, as Christians, may we be carriers
of the “thrill of hope” to those we encounter daily.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
What dark place of your life needs His great light of love and hope?
2. Do you or someone you know need to be reminded of
the “thrill of hope”?
FURTHER READING:
Peggy
is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and
is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield. She serves as the
Coordinator of Fresh Start.
