8 And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke
2:8-14)
I have never wearied of reading these memorable words from Luke and those
preceding 7 verses of the same chapter. They are filled with such beauty and
imagery that the literary skills of no man can add to their descriptive
proclamations of glorious exultation. It is this night of darkness for which
the world has waited from the dark days of the exile from the lush Garden of
Eden. Now was the moment when that promise made of old would be fulfilled. The
first news of the birth of Jesus was not made through the diplomatic channels
of the world powers, but rather to poor and lonely shepherds on a hill outside
Bethlehem. These were the only ones who were busy in their labors that night of
all who dwelled in that sleepy little hamlet.
Silent night has always been my very favorite Christmas carol, until I sing
another such as this one that we address this glorious Christmas Day. Last
night may have been the most blessed Christmas Eve I have ever celebrated. I
have always loved the warmth, love, and carols of Christmas Eve Service, but
last night was even more special - why I cannot say - than all others. It seems
as the shadows lengthen in my life, I am able to cherish each succeeding
Christmas Eve with ever increasing exultation. There were many of my favorite
people in all of my life who came to the service - some I have known from the
days that I had to lift them to the parallel bars on the playground at the
church. They are now mostly grown up and either in college, or embarking on
post-graduate studies. I looked at the familiar faces of the children that my
wife and I consider our own. (They will always be our children in our eyes) I
thought how good God is to give such fine wine at the last, and so much better
than that which we once thought best.
We went caroling after service. The night was cold (near freezing) and the
rural skies of south Alabama were so pristine that we could see every bright
and gleaming star. I was, as they say in Alabama, "beside myself"
with joy. It was obvious that our caroling brought warmth and joy, too, to all
of the homes and hearths that the Spirit directed our steps. I looked around at
our beautiful young people, the mellow candle light illuming their faces, and
discovered that this was yet another happy memory which I would take with me
beyond looming banks of Jordan Waters. It was a night like unto any other
night. It was Christmas Eve, and it was as unique and special as every other
Christmas Eve in my treasure trove of memories. Though we sang Silent Night at
every house, the words of O Holy Night was forefront in my mind and seemed to
match perfectly the ambience of the night. The words to this glorious
hymn were written in the French by Placide Cappeau and translated into the
English by John S. Dwight in 1847. The musical score is by Adolphe Adams. This
hymn is reputedly the first music ever to be transmitted by radio - and rightly
so since there was never an event as momentous as that night in Bethlehem.
O HOLY NIGHT
Oh, 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, oh, hear the angel 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 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! Oh, praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
Having lived in the Middle East
for more than five years in my younger years, I can tell you that there are no
brighter stars to be seen anywhere in the world than in those purple canopied
skies of pristine desert air. " O holy night, the stars are
brightly shining;" and why should they not brightly
shine? Even the Holy Stars sing together at such a glorious event! It is the
night spoken of by the prophets to be the very moment of the division of time
and eternity. All before Christ is the Eternity Past; and all after is the
Eternity Future. We even base our calendar computations on that momentous
event! " It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!"
Just as God began His Creation in darkness (the evening and the morning were
the first day) so did His plan of redemption begin in the darkness of the
centuries of Law and Justice. Now, the hope of man, who could not save Himself
through perfect obedience, be granted an inconceivably great mercy and grace
through a Child born who would, Himself, be that Lamb of Sacrifice of which
Father Abraham spoke at the foot of Mt. Moriah with his own beloved son, Isaac.
"And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and
he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." (Gen
22:7-8)
The cold, dark night of the centuries was about to be punctuated by
resplendent, penetrating LIGHT! "Long lay the world in sin and
error pining,Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth."The people
that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." (Isaiah
9:2) Because of Christ, though we may ". . . walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and
thy staff they comfort me" (Psalms 23:4) death has become only a
harmless shadow and without any real substance. The real image has been
conquered, finally and completely, by our Lord for us! Have you considered the
value of a single soul to God? It is of unmentionable worth - so much so that
He gave His only Begotten Son to purchase it.
"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!"
Yes, God began the old Creation in darkness and completed it in brilliant light
of day. So He does with the New Creation which is the complement of the old. A
new and glorious dawn of salvation has broken on the morning sky of the soul.
Let us fall on our knees just as did those ancient shepherds on the lonely hill
overlooking Bethlehem. We have heard the same Angel voices for we have just
read it from God's glorious Word from the Gospel of Luke. Have we believe3d it?
If so, respond as did the shepherds. And how did they respond? "And
it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the
shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see
this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a
manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad
the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they
that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And
the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that
they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." (Luke
2:15-20)
Once the Lord has made known to you the immeasurable benefits made available to
you in His dearly beloved Son, how will you respond? Hopefully, you will
respond as the shepherds: 1) Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and
see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
2) Hopefully, we will waste no time in our resolve: " And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a
manger. " 3) Hopefully, when we have found Jesus, we will
proclaim it abroad to all who will hear us: " And when they had
seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them
concerning this child." 4) Hopefully, like the Woman at Jacobs
Well, our testimony will be so convincing as to open the eyes of all who hear:
"And all they that heard it wondered at those things which
were told them by the shepherds." Have we done?
"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!" The Wise Men of the East did not sit idly
by until the Star of Bethlehem suddenly appeared. They studied the Old
Testament prophecies so well they could have repeated them with their eyes
closed and, not only that, but they studied the heavens for the promised sign -
and they SAW it! We must not take the prophecies and promises of God lightly,
but with enthusiastic interest. Our Lord and King was laid in a manger - a
trough for feeding the beasts of the field. We, too, were no better than the
beasts of the field without Him. That crude manger held the King of Kings who
would not only come to us at first in such a bed, but would be held on another
crude wooden instrument of torture in His redemptive and sacrificial death for
us. It would be far more advisable to bend the knee to our Sovereign now, then
to do so only after He comes as our Judge.
"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!" His Higher Law is not written on
Tables of Stone. "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the
epistle (written letter) of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink,
but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in
fleshy tables of the heart." (2 Cor 3:3) His two great
Commandments serve as the Keystone and Chief Cornerstone of His Law. Absent
LOVE, there can be no obedience to God for LOVE is the component from which all
other commandments are suspended. If we have life and lips, we must employ them
in praising His glorious Name. How many of us who profess to be Christian do
so?
A very Merry Christmas today and all remaining days of
Christmastide.
