A Series on Advent – The
Christ Candle
John 1:1-5; John 3:16-17
(Use the link below to
read the verses.)
Advent
is a time to meditate on the meaning of Christmas; the birth of Jesus; the
birth of Immanuel, which means God with us.
Traditionally, churches light a
candle each of the four weeks before Christmas, remembering a different aspect
of Advent. Hope, peace, joy, love, and tonight, The Christ Candle.
At
the church I attend, the Christmas Eve service always includes a touching
rendition of “O Holy Night”. Usually it is done by a soloist, but this year the
choir is singing it. As we rehearsed, I realized that I had never really paid
close attention to the words.
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 pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
It is the night of our 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
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
It
doesn’t paint an idyllic picture of a baby laying in a manger swathed in rags.
It doesn’t conjure up images of an angelic Mary with her loving husband Joseph
and their newborn baby in a sterile stable. It doesn’t describe the three wise
men traveling from the east to bring him gifts.
But
it does paint a picture of a world, weary from sin; a world that desperately
needs a savior; a world that has nowhere else to turn.
We
received a Christmas card this year from some good friends. The card had one of
those idealistic pictures on the front. But the message said it all with a poem
by Roy Lessin titled, “God’s Gift”.
Little baby on the hay
soon there'll be another day
when nails shall pierce
Your hands and feet
as you provide our sin's defeat.
This
poem reminds us that Jesus came as a baby, but died on the cross for our sins. It
truly was a holy night. soon there'll be another day
when nails shall pierce
Your hands and feet
as you provide our sin's defeat.
And how should we respond over two thousand years later?
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
You can listen to O Holy Night as sung by Carrie Underwood by clicking on the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxJxU6VYkUY&app=desktop
No comments:
Post a Comment