My all time favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night. Not only is the music gorgeous, but also the lyrics are so powerful! For the next few days, I’m going to unpack some lyrics to the classic Christmas hymn for our reflection and God’s glory.
[Verse 1, part 1]
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pinning,
‘Til he appears and the soul felt its worth.
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. The hymn begins by setting the backdrop for the events to come. Adolphe Adam (hymn composer) paints a peaceful picture of a star lit night perfectly filled with expectation of the miraculous!
Long lay the world, in sin and error pinning –
The world was (is) lost. All of humanity and creation knows they reside in a state of unrest. Errors abide. Sin abounds. Redemption is craved. The universe longs for reconciliation, a feat far to big for self. A savior is needed.
‘Til he appears and the soul felt its worth –
Ta da! It’s show time! The master protagonist enters the scene and everything changes! When Jesus shows up, for the first time, the souls of humanity feel complete. They realize that they belong to God. Jesus fills the gap and reconciles humanity to God. Because of the birth of Jesus, humans find their identity for the first time. Jesus answers the question of humankind, “Who am I?” The answer is, “A beloved child of God, graphted in to the family through Jesus!”
Soon we’ll continue. Until then, rest in knowing your soul has found its worth in Jesus! You are His. The longing of the world has ceased as the earth has found her Savior!