O Holy Night

December 4, 2023
Devotional by: Christine Smith

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;
‘Til He appears 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, O Holy night, O night divine!

Growing up as a child of Madison Presbyterian Church, one of my most favorite Christmas memories was attending the Christmas Eve service and hearing Hoyt Jackson sing “Oh Holy
Night”. It didn’t truly seem like Christmas until his voice serenaded and washed over the congregation each year. When I got married and began spending Christmas Eve with “those
other people”, aka my in-laws (who I adore), I found I still needed a “fix” of my most favorite Christmas hymn. I found it in the soulful voice of Mariah Carey. If you haven’t listened to her version, do yourself a favor, and do so right away. Talk about hearing the Angel voices!

I have often thought about this hymn and why it resonates so much with me. I think it relates to the excitement, anticipation, and joy I felt each Christmas as a child, which has now transitioned to the excitement, anticipation, and joy I feel watching my own children experience the Christmas and Advent seasons. Now though, the words of this hymn carry a totally different weight. Now, I am aware of the daily mess-ups, the heaviness, the occasional heartbreak, the intermittent guilt, and the everyday burdens that we as humans carry on our hearts. But through all of that, there is a thrill of hope! We, the weary world, have an opportunity to fall to our knees, to focus on the good, and to rejoice in the promise that Christ Jesus is coming!

To me, it’s easier to focus on the good and to choose joy during a season where excitement, love, and hope abound. But what happens when Advent is over? When the baby is no longer in the manger? I’d like to think that the stars still shine brightly, that the weary world still has an opportunity to rejoice, and that each day brings a new and glorious morning. The night that Christ was born was certainly a Holy night, but I think that we can find thrills of hope long after the Advent season has come and gone. That’s my prayer for my little family and for my Madison Presbyterian Church family, anyway. Lord, let our soul feel its worth and see the Holy in the day-to-day. Amen.