Saturday, December 19, 2015

O Holy Night- my thoughts and meditations

 
This Christmas season I have immensely enjoyed doing Advent in my own studies and with my daughter. It has been an amazing experience immersing myself in God's word and constantly focusing on Him as my king and conqueror of my soul. He has certainty been working in my life and the lives of the ones I love. O Holy Night has been such an inspiration to me because it gives a clear message of His gospel. It is a new favorite of mine.
 
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth

This night was like no other night. It was a night set apart for God's perfect will: His Son, our Savior was born.
 
Long lay the world in sin and e'er pining
 
When our Savior was born, the world was lost and separated from
God. The sinfulness of this world was clear and needed a Savior. "Pining is one of those older words we don’t hear very often. It does refer to a desperate longing, but it also has a more archaic meaning of discontent and fret. Both reflect what the Bible tells us about the state of the world. In rebellion against God it seeks satisfaction in things that do not satisfy.It is a restless world that will not embrace the one cure that can save it(http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2009/12/o-holy-night-2-long-lay-the-world-in-sin)"

 
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
 
He came to us on that night to bring our burdened and sin laden
souls hope. When we hope, we can rejoice, rejoice in that through Him, we will not be weary no more. He is our Savior. He has overcome all sin!
  
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Through Christ all things are made new. The old has gone away. It is like waking up to a new morning and starting all over again. He gives us a second chance. We mess up but through Him we can do it again every day, every moment. There is hope. There is grace. There is power.
  
Fall on your knees O hear the angels voices.
 
This is by far my favorite part. Christ comes and brings hope, a new start to our fallen hearts. It is only through Him we can do that. So when we fall on our knees, we are humbly falling on our faces recognizing He has saved us. And when we do that, the angels sing in heaven rejoicing that we have seen our need and have chosen Christ.
 
O night divine O night when Christ was born
O night divine, O night, O night divine
 
When Christ was born that night, God Himself set it up.Every single detail from Mary and Joseph being His earthly parents to King Herod wanting to kill Him, divinely directed by God Himself. It could not have gone any other way.
 
Truly He taught us to love one another;
 
Through God sending His only Son to come as a humble baby, being born in a stable and laying in a feeding trough, is only the beginning of showing and teaching us love. Jesus even continues on showing love through out His life and ultimately on the cross.
 
His law is love
 
Jesus commanded us to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. He also taught us that when one loves Him, they will keep His commandments.
 
and His gospel is peace.
 
The gospel is Jesus Christ coming as a baby, growing up, dying on the cross and rising from the dead defeating death. In that we are saved from our sins which brings peace like no other to our weary and sinful hearts. We can have the faith that what He says and who He is, is true.
 
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
 
The chains are our sin that burdens us which Christ can only break. That is why He came.
"Paul also recognized how he could be free of the chains of sin. 'Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!' (v24-25 of Romans 7) The slave is our brother because we too were once slaves to sin, and we are untied with the Christ in His suffering and resurrection." http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2009/12/o-holy-night-10-e28093-the-slave-is-our-brother
 
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
 
Christ gave us freedom. Freedom only comes from His name and His name alone. It isn't Buddha nor the teachings of Joseph Smith. They all came and died. He is the only way. He is the only truth. He is the one who brings life.
 
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,Let all within us praise His holy name.
 
Because through His name oppression cease, we can sing out in a joyful and grateful praise because of His great gift to us. It should just flow out of us because of who He is in us.
 
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

This is a declaration of praise of who He is. He is the Lord of our lives. He made this plan before the earth was even made. That is why He is Lord of all. That is why we have to fall on our knees and praise Him forever. Even times to come, all will fall on their knees and see that He is Lord.
 
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
 
Besides every knee bowing down to His name, we will bow down to His power and glory. We can now see on earth how He has worked and continues to work in our lives and brings glory to His name. In that we should praise His name. In that the world will praise His name.
 
O night divine, O night, O night divine
 

 

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