CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
December 14, 2003 return to main page
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Our congregation The Stolte’s in Germany
Our college students Bob Stolte is in Northwest
Our nation, leaders and military David and Leon in the Navy
Holiday travelers various, relatives, friends and co-workers
Keith’s mother and family Virgil
COMING UP:
December 21st - Pot luck at the building
December 24th - no Wednesday night meeting
December 31st - New Year’s Eve party at the Cruthirds
IT CAME UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’” (Luke 2:10).
This carol, as it is called, centers around the announcement by an angel and then the heavenly hosts to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem. That must have been a glorious, though frightening sight. The authors of Unveiling Glory stated that this was the only recorded time that the angels, or heavenly hosts, came and sung. What would it have sounded like? One can only imagine, but it would be stirring. The only other place in scripture we see those in heaven singing are in scenes from heaven such as those found in Revelation. Edmond Sears wrote this song in 1849 and seems to have captured the struggles of life. Mr. Sears was a Unitarian minister (different from today’s Unitarians in a number of ways) writing before the Civil War (the War of Northern Aggression for some of you). One wonders what he saw in daily life that would lead to some of his statements in this song.
Obviously there is some poetic license used in this song, as in many, such as “From angels bending near the earth To touch their harps of gold.” Be that as it may, the message is clear: “Peace on the earth, good will to men, From heav’n’s all gracious King.” He captures the essence of the night with “The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.” We can picture this. Shepherds were watching their flocks, gathered around a fire resting or sleeping, talking, maybe even eating, just enjoying the view or moaning the mundaneness of it all. All of a sudden there is a great light and then an angel. Typical of other appearances by angels, the shepherds were terrified but the angel assured them that he had come, not in judgment, but in peace (see Zechariah and Mary - Luke 1).
Verses two and three of the song capture the attitude of daily life, both then and now.
“Still thro’ the cloven skies they come With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heav’nly music floats O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains They bend on hov’ring wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds, The blessed angels sing.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong;
And men, at war with men, hear not The love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing.”
The world is weary and sad. The angels sing over the babbling sounds of life. Doesn’t that sound like today? How many babbling sounds do we hear today? From the media to Hollywood, from politicians to pundits, the babbling goes on and on. The words just wear on. Many are tuning out and maybe just trying to hear another sound, the sound of angels singing. The cause is sin and strife that the world has suffered over centuries, and that has continued since the angels sung two thousand years ago. He then mentions men at war with men and men of strife. Mr. Sears wrote in a relatively peaceful time in this country, so what he was addressing might not mean physical, shooting war. He could have had slavery in mind when he wrote those words encouraging people to listen to the love song of the angels. He could have had in mind what we see today; crime, both street and white-collar. He could have been looking at how people treated each other and was frustrated because they would not hush so that the angels words could be heard. We can say the same today, especially as people rush to the malls to buy and buy, who stress out about parties and gifts, and who generally practice anything but peace. The music plays in the stores but many miss the meaning of the words and the message of the angels: “peace on the earth, good will to men.”
The last verse is about the future, the return of the King (I just couldn’t resist Tolkien here).
“For lo! The days are hast’ning on, By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever circling years, shall come the time foretold,
When the whole heav’n and earth shall own The Prince of Peace their King,
And the whole world send back the song Which now the angels sing.”
The reference here comes from Philippians 2:9-11. A day is coming when all will bow before the King in recognition of who He is, the Savior, the Son of God. Every tongue will confess Jesus though for some it will be too late. The sin, the hustle and bustle of life drowned out the song of the angels. Strife and anger were more important than the life of the Prince of Peace. People searched for peace in all the wrong places. But then there are those who listened to the angels song, and have gone to Bethlehem seeking the Messiah. And we have found Him and are now in fellowship with Him. The song has become ours and we sing it with the angels. One day we will join that heavenly choir and what a sound that will be!
While there are literally thousands of songs that deal with the birth of Christ, only a few (about 20) have become classics because they have great meaning in them. This song is one of them because it is truly timeless. Timeless carols are few and far between and in my opinion there has only been one or two in the last one hundred plus years. So next time you hear this song, listen carefully to what is being said; it’s for today.
George B. Mearns