O HOLY NIGHT

O Holy Night is far and away the best Christmas carol of all time. (Don't @ me on this.😉) It's one I wish we sang throughout the year. 

It was written by a French wine merchant named Placide Cappeau in 1847 and later translated to English by John Sullivan Dwight around 1858.

If you take a look at a strictly literal translation of the original lyrics, you might agree with me that Dwight greatly improved upon Cappeau's ideas. 

I love the fact that these two men were a couple of "nobodies". I don't know that they ever met, but they had one thing in common: both were publicly opposed to slavery. 

The song has one of the most powerful and poetic proclamations of the gospel that you will find in any hymn, covering our great need for deliverance from sin, the Son of God breaking into human history, and the resulting transformation of our relationship with God and with our fellow creatures.

(And a shout out to Adolphe-Charles Adam, another Frenchman, for composing such a moving melody.)

An amazing song.

 

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Chorus
Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born.
O night, O holy night, O night divine.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his Holy name!

Chorus
Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we!
His pow'r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow'r and glory, evermore proclaim!