Carol Contemplation: O Holy Night

Oh 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,

Till 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.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angels' voices!

Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;

Oh night divine, Oh night, Oh 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 come 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, Behold your King.

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 power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Edited to add: Last year, all I had up were the words! That's ok, they're pretty good words. Recordings of this song seem to go one of two ways. Either they are completely shrill and overblown and make me cringe, or they melt my heart. I don't have a favorite version, though. It's always on the radio, and we sing it every year. This is definitely a harmony song for me–no way can I hit those high notes! That first verse gets me. Here we are, "in sin and error pining," waiting and weary, hopelessly longing for something. And then he appeared, and "the soul felt its worth." Wow. Worth God becoming a man, a baby. Worth the manger, the flight to Egypt, the temptation in the desert, the crowds, the mocking of Pharisees, the crucifixion. Worth that, can you imagine? If that doesn't bring a thrill of hope, what else possibly could? Fall on your knees! It is the only proper response to such love, to such sacrifice. He knows our need–he was born to be our friend. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Let all within us praise His holy name.