O Holy Night

(Yes, I realize that this is my third post in a row entitled with a reference to a Christmas song . . . But it's Christmas time, so it's okay, right?)

Christmas Eve – perhaps the most magical and exciting night of the year. In just a few minutes, my family’s celebration will begin, including a Christmas concert and other Christ-centered activities. In some respects, I think I’ve always loved Christmas Eve even more than Christmas – the combination of excited anticipation, mixed with a reverential remembrance of the Savior, surpasses even the excitement of unwrapping shiny, new toys. It’s sort of like when Winnie the Pooh observes that the only thing better than actually eating honey is the moment right before the sticky goodness enters your mouth and you are filled with a tingling of excitement and delight. So it is for me and Christmas Eve. (Except Christmas is a zillion times better than honey.)

This is a night of wonder as we reflect on the miracle that the Son of God came down to earth in order to give His life to save all mankind. I love the Christmas song “O Holy Night,” and the message it bears of the joy of our redemption through Christ. When I was younger, I thought that the line in the second verse went, “And in His name, all depression shall cease.” I was struck by that and delighted in and drew comfort from the fact that Christ could take away my childhood and teenage sadnesses. Even after I realized the statement was actually that “all oppression shall cease,” I still clung to my earliest interpretation, drawing strength from the fact that Christ would help me personally. It wasn’t until this Christmas season that the original text of that song took on great meaning for me.

In my history class this year, we read many books with sobering and heavy content. I was not ignorant before of the existence of abuse, slavery, cruelty, or genocides and I knew that the nations needed healing, but reading so many firsthand accounts of people who had lived through these horrors granted me a deepened understanding of the prevalence of evil in the world. One night, as my roommates were driving home from a FHE activity in Alpine, “O Holy Night” came on the radio. As the second verse began, I was thinking about my usual substitution of words. But when I heard the words “And in His name, all oppression shall cease,” I realized that this applied to everything I had been reading. Christ will heal all the evil and injustice in the world. The personal help and healing He provides each one of us is real and important, but just as real is His power to heal the nations. I celebrate both truths tonight.

I am grateful for a God who came to earth so many years ago as a humble Babe – a God who heals both individuals and nations. He is truly the King of kings and Lord of lords, as well as my King and my Lord.