O Holy Night

On this Georgia Christmas morning we woke to find ourselves shrouded in fog.  It blanketed our world with a solemn, dreamlike quality.  It is our national day set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior.

“O holy night! The stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.”

Christmas is nearly often a bittersweet time as there always seems to be tragedies occurring during this season.  Most heavily on the nation’s mind are the murdered children and female staff and teachers at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut along with their grieving families.  The world is in pain, and that is why a Savior came. 

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.”

 

Mass murders have been occurring for centuries.  In an attempt to kill Jesus, King Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, but Joseph and Mary had escaped to Egypt with baby Jesus.  The birth of Jesus and the slaughter of these male children had been predicted long before in the biblical books of Jeremiah and Matthew.

 

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, God with us.” – Matthew 1:21-23.

“Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” – Matthew 2:17-18.

Perhaps the children in and around Bethlehem were killed by swords and knives since guns had not yet been invented.  The availability or unavailability of guns and other weaponry does not change the intent of a killer’s heart.  A killer will use any means to end lives.

 

Because of sin and evil abounding in the world, a Savior was born and came to redeem the sinners. 

“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

 

The birth of the Immanuel is the true meaning of Christmas, and this is how G and I celebrate Christmas with gratitude to our Savior.

“Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!”

 

We celebrated with our only Georgia family, G’s son Peter, wife Ali and baby daughter Maelyn.  Ali’s kin are good southern folk, and after a prayer of blessing, we enjoyed a feast of sumptuous foods including southern staples such as sweet tea, sweet potato soufflé and collard greens.

 

 

 

 

"Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, 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 he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!"