I have been reviewing some modern worship songs, but I’ve taken a break to explore some Advent and Christmas hymns. 😀. Today, I’ve chosen O Holy Night.
This wasn’t one that we sang in church. It tended to be sung by gifted soloists. It was generally the highlight of Christmas carol concerts in the City Hall in my hometown, Cork, Ireland.
It began as a French poem, Minuit, chrétiens, written in 1847 by poet Placide Cappeau. It’s said that Cappeau was an atheist. A priest asked him to write it. It was commissioned for the dedication of a new organ in Roquemaure, France.
People sometimes get upset about singing hymns or worship songs associated with problematic sources. But the key thing is what goes on in our own hearts while we sing.
Adolphe Adam set it to music and John Sullivan Dwight, an American abolitionist, translated the song into English, adapting the melody slightly.
It’s interesting how so many Christmas hymns aren’t directly addressed to God. Here’s some examples:
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- O Holy Night
- O Christmas Tree
- Good King Wenceslas
- I Saw Three Ships
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
- While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
- We Three Kings
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Once in Royal David’s City
- Away in a Manger
- I Saw Three Ships
- Ding Dong Merrily on High
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
- Coventry Carol
- In the Bleak Midwinter
- Good Christian Men, Rejoice
- The First Nowell
But you don’t need to address God directly to worship him in your heart. All sorts of things can cause you to become joyful and thankful towards him, even secular music or anything in creation.
Let’s examine the lyrics. It’s quite impressive. One wonders if he really was an atheist. There was much conflict between secularism and the Roman Catholic church in France at the time, so I can understand why someone who was anti-clerical might be deemed an atheist.
1 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!
2 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!
3 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!
I notice two terms “King of Kings” and “friend”. This reminds me of a line from a modern song:
“You’re my friend and you are my brother even though you are a king.”
At times, our dominant thought is Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as stated in the Book of Revelation and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. But, Jesus also calls his followers his friends.
Here are some interesting versions of the hymn:
Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo
Hibernia Gospel 
I watched “Oh, Holy Night” and cried because if the Blessed Virgin Mary had not accepted that she would be the birth mother of our Savior Jesus Christ, we would have “…no one comes to the Father, except by Me.” I read the 4 Gospels over and over, marveling at how the Son of God, the Father, came down to become a man just like us human beings, to preach the way to Salvation, explaining the meaning of the Old Testament, opening the eyes of those who had ears to hear and understand the interpretation of the Old Testament as it was meant to be understood after it was written over time. 🙏☦️
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