INTRODUCTION
Do you like lists? I mean lists of the top ten or top 100 in some category?
I find them interesting. Let me share one which some of you may be very interested in at this time of the year.
Ten best-selling gifts for children in 2025 (according to Amazon)
- TOSY Magnet Pyramid Stone
- LEGO Botanicals Happy Plants Building Toys
- Schylling NeeDoh Nice Cube
- LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book, Green
- The Original Slinky
- Emotional Support Chicken Nuggets
- Crayola Color Wonder Magic Light Brush
- Shashibo Shape Shifting Box
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Wildly Entertaining Card Game
- Transformable Fidget Spinners
- Sold out: Nex Playground active game system
The carol we will focus on today made a top ten list just a few years ago. It was the list of the most-recorded Christmas songs during a 36 year period from 1978-2014. The list was created by Time magazine using copyright use filing information in the US Copyright Office.
The ten most recorded Christmas Songs (1978-2014)
- Silent Night, Holy Night – 733
- Joy to the World – 391
- Holy Night – 374
- What Child Is This? – 329
- Away in a Manger – 300
- Come All Ye Faithful – 296
- White Christmas – 283
- Ave’ Maria – 270
- The Christmas Song – 254
- Jingle Bells – 254
The interesting history of the song:
Our song today is . It was based on a French carol written in 1847 by Placide Cappeau and translated into English with some modifications in 1855 by John Sullivan Dwight.
The history of the song is interesting. The composer of the French carol was not known for his church attendance but was asked to compose a poem for the dedication of his church’s new organ. He agreed, and apparently on a coach ride to Paris imagined what it might have been like to have been in Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth and wrote the poem. The poem was then set to music by the composer Adolphe Adam.
It was recognized that the poem was not exactly orthodox in its view of Christ, but in France grew to being very popular and sung at midnight masses. However the Catholic church quickly tried to suppress it and it was banned from being sung at church although the people of France continued to sing it at home. The church’s position in France hasn’t changed. In 1990 a soloist was refused permission to sing it at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
The English version was translated and somewhat modified by John Sullivan Dwight. He liked the references in the original version to slaves becoming brothers as he was an abolitionist. He removed the offensive theology and published the words in 1855. It was an immediate hit in the northern states, but not in the South for obvious reasons.
On Christmas Eve 1906, Reginald Fessenden–a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison–did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man’s voice was broadcast over the airwaves: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed,” he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.
Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle–hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.
Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn’t have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played “O Holy Night,” the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast–but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.
Story from: https://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/movies/the-nativity-story/the-amazing-story-of-o-holy-night.aspx?p=2#jFdMLcVCUALRuUY4.99)
There is little question today that O Holy Night is one of the best-known and most popular Christmas songs.
According to an article online, in recent history the song has been covered in a variety of Christmas album collections, across a range of genres and song styles. Popular covers of the song include renditions by Michael Crawford, Mariah Carey, NSYNC, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Wezzer, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Ella Fitzgerald, Carrie Underwood, Andrea Bocelli, Jennifer Hudson, aand Kelly Clarkson. In a 2010 survey conducted by Zogby International, “O Holy Night” was ranked as the most popular Christmas song, ahead of “White Christmas” and “The Christmas Song”. (Wikipedia)
I have no doubt that O Holy Night is among the favorite Christmas songs you know and certainly is one of those songs we can’t celebrate Christmas at North park without. It is one of our favorite Christmas songs at North Park.
Let’s look at the song and particularly look at ways in which it reveals the gospel message to us.
The first verse of this song was written from the perspective of those who experienced the first Christmas. The second verse invites us to join the shepherds at the manger, The third stanza asks us to think about what Jesus taught and the difference he’s made in the world.
Verse 1 – The perspective of those present on that night
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
The were shining
Stars – over Bethlehem the night Jesus was born
Luke 2:8
A special star shined guiding the Magi
Matthew 2:1–2
Matthew 2:9
A had been born
Matthew 1:21
Luke 2:10–11
was oppressing the world
Long lay the world in sin and error pining;
Everyday sacrifices were offered in the Temple in Jerusalem for sins. Everyday there were reminders that every human being sins and that sin separates from God, and only through atonement for that sin can a relationship with God be restored.
The world was weary of sin. People suffered everyday through the sins others committed. Their own sins weighed them down and brought them guilt and trouble. It wasn’t just a Jewish problem, it was a world-wide problem.
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
The appearing of the Savior showed them (and us)
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
The coming of Jesus showed us that God valued us. Our souls were precious to him. He was willing to leave heaven, become one of us, then die for us so that we could be forgiven, restored, and redeemed for all of eternity.
The appearing of the Savior gave them (and us)
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices;
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
The birth of Jesus changed everything. It was the birth of the Savior the Jewish people had long expected. But not only Jews, God-fearing people of all nations had come to believe in the promises given through the Jewish scriptures that a star would rise from Jacob to rule the nations.
Numbers 24:17a
When the angel appeared to the shepherds he announced the appearing of the star – the coming of the Messiah, the Christ who God-fearing people looked for for generations.
Luke 2:11
This fresh hope – a new and glorious morn – those who were there and filled them with joy
Luke 2:15
Luke 2:20
They were
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!
Fall on your knees – a posture of wonder and amazement, an attempt to gain a little more stability when emotionally and spiritually shaken.
O night divine – rarely do we call a night divine. The divineness of this night was literal. It was made in heaven and brought heaven down to us. As never before God was near us – not close to us, but one of us, the divine King of kings born in a lowly manger as a human being.
The Gospel in the song
Here is the gospel in a nutshell: a baby was born at the first Christmas who was the Savior and who would bring new hope into a sin-weary world. That baby, Jesus, is called the dear Savior. What kind of Savior was he? Not a political deliverer, nor a military leader, nor a researcher who would find the cure for a dread disease. Jesus was born as the Savior from the eternal condemnation we deserve for our sins. God came in as a human being, born like any other human being, to do for us what we could not do ourselves: pay the eternal penalty of our sin and still survive to enjoy heaven with him. No wonder we fall on our knees when we know what happened on that holy night.
Verse 2 – We and others are led to the child
Finding the Christ child
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand;
The angel told the shepherds the unusual circumstance that would allow them to find the savior: a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger.
Luke 2:12
Led by that information they quickly found the baby.
Luke 2:16
In this verse we are with the shepherds. We are standing (or perhaps kneeling) by his cradle (a manger)) and our hearts are glowing – burning with excitement, joy, and hope. The light of God’s Word and the drawing of the Holy Spirit have led us to Christ, the Light of the World.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
Matthew does mention a star guiding the wise men from the east to the house of the baby Jesus. Most scholars think this happened when Jesus was between 1 and 2 years of age.
Matthew 2:1–2
Matthew 2:9
The humility and of the new-born king
The King of kings lay once in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;
Our song reminds us that the helpless child in the manger was in fact the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yet in his first, but not last, appearing on the earth, he was born in the most humble circumstances. Not in a palace attended by the best physicians and surrounded by crowned potentates, but in a stable, placed in a manger for there was no room for him even in a common inn.
And born not to Lord it over us but to become a friend to us.
As Jesus said to his disciples:
John 15:15
The of the King of kings
He knows our need,
Our song says, He knows our need.
Exactly. A mortal man alone might understand some of another man’s needs, but could never know all of them. But the incarnate son of God, Emmanuel, God with us, had infinite knowledge. He knows not some of our needs but all of them. Of course the greatest of these is forgiveness of our sin, reconciliation to God, and new life springing up within us through the new birth, but he knows all our other needs as well: the need for security, for love, for respect, for accomplishment, for relationship, for health, for peace, for satisfaction in life, etc.
The of our Savior
To our weakness is no stranger.
By being born as a human being Jesus became personally acquainted with our weaknesses. He was tempted as we are, though he did not give in. He became hungry and thirsty just as we do. He grew weary and needed rest, just like us. He felt pain, grief, and anger, and also love, compassion, and happiness just as we do.
Hebrews 2:17–18
The sign of reverence this new born child from us
Behold your King,
before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King,
before Him lowly bend!
We must also acknowledge him as our king, the one who has the right to rule over us.
We, too, should bend low before him as a sign of our reverence and submission.
Verse 3 – The child in that cradle has changed us and the world
The words of our song now turn from inviting us to experience the birth of Jesus to contemplating what he taught us and what he’s done.
He taught us
Truly He taught us to love one another,
He taught us to love one another.
The gospel, the whole story of the coming of the baby born that night, begins with .
John 3:16
The gospel story started with God’s love, then Jesus showed us his love, and then Jesus taught us to love others.
He taught us to love ..
Matthew 5:44
He taught us to love our .
John 15:12
The apostle John taught us that love for the Christian.
1 John 4:8
Love is one of the defining marks of being a genuine Christian.
His gospel is the good news of – peace with God, peace within, and peace with each other.
His law is love and His gospel is peace;
We are to be
Matthew 5:9
We enjoy through faith in Jesus
Romans 5:1
Jesus gives his to his followers
John 14:27
The Holy Spirit produces in every believer who walks in the Spirit
Galatians 5:22
The believer’s goal is to with others
Romans 12:18
The gospel is indeed the gospel of peace: peace with God, peace within, and peace with others.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
What the world ignored for so long was the kinship we all share as bearers of the image of God through creation. Sin led people to enslave others, misuse others, and mistreat others.
The song tells us that Jesus will break the chains of slavery.
When he proclaimed what we know as the Golden Rule he set a standard that clearly rules out slavery:
Matthew 7:12
The song goes on to remind us that the slave is .
The slave is not property, a thing, an object, a tool.
The slave is a human being created in the image of God, and if he or she is a fellow Christian, then a brother (or sister) in Christ.
We cannot treat another person as a brother or sister and take away their freedom, put them in chains, force them to work for no more than a little of the cheapest food, and then say our prayer and read our Bible as good Christians. This is unthinkable, and unthinkable even to many, many who are not Christians.
Jesus came as the . What a pity it took so long for his people to break the chains of slavery, though eventually they led the world-wide abolition movement.
The matchless we must give him
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.
We praise his name – who he is, what he did – and will do that forever if we know him as our Savior.
In Revelation John had a glimpse into heaven and saw the worship of the Lamb who was slain, Jesus:
Revelation 5:6–14
Those who are saved praise Jesus’ name now and will forever. It is one of our chief delights.
The personal we give about him.
His power and glory evermore proclaim;
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
Here is our privilege and our duty: to proclaim to those who do not know the power and glory of the child born in the manger.
We are to proclaim :
(MULTILINE REVEAL TINY)
We are to proclaim :
(MULTILINE REVEAL TINY)
Conclusion
Look at all this song encompasses:
The incarnation
Redemption
Our worth to God
Hope
Adoration
Lordship
Kinship
Understanding
New ways of living
Liberation
Brotherhood
A call to worship
(MULTILINE)