A Challenging Request
Every December, our Sunday School class sings Christmas carols to 6-8 homebound members of our church. Often, these seniors are dealing with health issues, don’t get out much, and welcome a visit from 15-20 smiling, cheerful faces to entertain them with Christmas songs.
We typically chose the songs we sang, always ending with “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” coupled with a goodie bag holding homemade cookies or sweets.
While we’ve been doing this for over twenty years, one year, an older lady in our church asked us to sing “O Holy Night.” For decades, Miss Ruby had been the secretary for our Sunday School, manually recording the number present in each class each week. Her health had declined, and now she rarely got out of her house.
The challenge with her request was not our ability to sing the carol, although the phrase “O night divine” soars beyond the singing range of most people. Our class has 7-9 choir members, so hitting the notes was not the problem.
Instead, the problem was that while most of us had heard soloists sing the song we didn’t know all of the words. We didn’t want to disappoint Miss Ruby, but this was in the era before everyone had a phone in their pocket to call up the lyrics.
We did our best rendition of “O Holy Night,” although some of the words weren’t quite right.
This caroling session was special not only because of this challenging request, but because this sweet saint passed away just a few days later. God allowed us to give Miss Ruby this special gift before calling her home.
“O Holy Night” has a fascinating background you can check out here.
A Miraculous Birth
This beautiful song paints a picture of the narrative of Jesus’ birth that we’re familiar with from Luke 2:1-18. Emperor Caesar Augustus called for a census of the Roman Empire. Every man needed to go to the home town for their tribe to be counted. For Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth, this was to Bethlehem since he was of the lineage of David.
When they got to Bethlehem that night, the town was full. There was no room for Joseph and his expectant bride, Mary. They were forced to stay in a room with animals. This is not where any mother would want to have her Baby, surrounded by animals, and sleeping in a manger
(Disclaimer: For years I thought the story said “there was no room in the inn” and pictured Jesus being born outdoors in a stable. Then I reread Luke 2:6-7 and Luke 2:12. Jesus was likely born in the house of a relative whose spare room was already taken so He had to sleep in the section of the house where animals were housed at night to keep them from thieves.)
But this was no ordinary child. His pregnancy was announced to Mary and Joseph by angels. What did it mean? What was God doing with this young couple and their Baby?
For the shepherds in Bethlehem, it was yet another cold, clear night. I’m sure the shepherds wished they were indoors by a fire, but they were charged with ensuring the sheep remained safe from wild animals and thieves. They did not expect that this night would be any different.
God Had Different Plans
But God had different plans — plans that were made before the world began and foretold by prophecies throughout the Old Testament. This night in Bethlehem, the Savior of all mankind would be born. In a lowly manger, in a small town, to a young virgin mother and a much older carpenter father.
And nothing would be the same. Even how we counted years would change as we went from “Before Christ (BC)” to “Anno Domini (AD),” meaning “in the year of our Lord.”
No wonder the song has these powerful verses:
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
No longer would mankind have to tirelessly labor to follow every detail of the Law — it wasn’t possible. Some tried. Most simply gave up.
But this Baby was God’s own Son. Sin’s hold was broken. Death’s sting had been removed. We didn’t need to be perfect. We just needed to accept the free offer of salvation Jesus gives to all who repent and believe in Him.
The song captures our only possible response:
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
What else could we do but fall on our knees to worship this newborn King—Immanuel, God come to earth to redeem His people?
This Christmas, as you sing the familiar carols and read the beautiful story in Luke 2:1-18, reflect on the wonder of this one holy, miraculous night when God sent His only Son to save you because He loves you that much.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us slow down this Christmas to focus on the single, incomparable Gift of your Son, Jesus, who was born on a cold winter night in Bethlehem. Like the angels, shepherds, and wise men, let us fall on our knees to worship Him.
O Holy Night
The lyrics to “O Holy Night” below are in honor of Miss Ruby, who challenged us that evening to remember the night when our Savior was born:
“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 world 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 divine! O 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,
there 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!”
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.” (Luke 1:68)
The YouTube version of “O Holy Night” provided in the third paragraph is by Keith & Kristyn Getty and the Getty Girls. Images were generated by ChatGTP.
I often think of what it must have been like to be a shepherd and hear that first declaration.
Kudos on blessing Miss Ruby. I bet she enjoyed every note!