Christmas Hope for the Fears of All the Years

Part Three: Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know

The word hope has been gutted by misuse to the point where it’s a flimsy thing, a wish thrown out into the universe, a desire held close to one’s heart. Christmas allows us to fill the word hope back up again with true biblical meaning.

The birth of Jesus two thousand years ago invites us to imagine an event full of both hope and wonder even though it was set in a humble location. The major players were “little people” who were acting in simple obedience to the specific call of God upon their lives—while they also responded to the directives of the Roman emperor who had no idea that, in ordaining a worldwide census, he was also acting in response to God’s rescue plan.

Bethlehem was the hometown of Ruth and King David, but the prophet Micah had his eye on the little town for even bigger purposes:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be
among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from
of old, from ancient days.” 

Micah 5:2

When Phillips Brooks, rector of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia and the author of “O, Little Town of Bethlehem,” visited the Holy Land in 1865, he escaped the din of holiday tourism by riding on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. The quiet landscape came to mind three years later when he was writing a Christmas song for the children in his congregation.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

“O Little Town of Bethlehem,” verse 1

Really?
Could “the hopes and fears of all the years” be met by the birth of a baby in a small, middle-eastern town?

The word hope has been gutted by misuse to the point where it’s a flimsy thing, a wish thrown out into the universe, a desire held close to one’s heart. Christmas allows us to fill the word hope back up again with true biblical meaning

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More than Just a Song About a Town

Well, it turns out that Jesus’s significance far exceeded his quiet beginning, and Brooks’s Christmas carol is about more than the town where Jesus was born.

[Verse 2]
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God, the King
And peace to men on earth

[Verse 3]
How silently, how silently
The wondrous Gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive Him still
The dear Christ enters in

The carol is about Jesus as Rescuer and Redeemer—just as Christmas is about Jesus!

Our “hopes and fears are met” because of his identity.
Jesus is the “wondrous Gift!”
Hope is the blessing God “imparts to human hearts.”

With that in mind, verse four becomes a prayer framed by the hope of the gospel:

[Verse 4]
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.”

Christ came to Bethlehem, and Christ will come to individual souls. The angel’s announcement to shepherds on the hillsides surrounding Bethlehem was a message of hope:

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:10-11

Biblical truth is the only path to rebuilding a culture of hope in our present age of despair. If we’re going to live as hopeful citizens of God’s unshakable kingdom, we must be among the “meek souls” who have admitted that we need his help. Wherever “the dear Christ enters in,” he brings hope, forgiveness, and his own sustaining presence.

“Oh come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.”

Holding You in the Light,

Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know—Part 3: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”—Could “the hopes and fears of all the years” really be met by the birth of a baby in a small, middle-eastern town?

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This is Part Three of my Advent series for 2023: Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know. We’re a singing family, and I love the traditional carols, so I’m grateful that our grandkids are growing up in homes where hymnals are used. Stay tuned for upcoming Sunday posts featuring theological musings on some of our most-loved Christmas carols.

And in case you missed Part One, CLICK HERE for thoughts on “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and HERE for my musings on “Silent Night.”

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