In December of 1978, I was struggling to figure out what Christmas was about. On the 4th floor of Siedschlag Resident Hall at Western Michigan University we organized a “Secret Santa.” The week of finals we each were surprising and being surprised as we left and found trinkets and notes of encouragement. The woman who had my name included with each gift, a small card with quotes from the Bible describing the birth of Jesus. I wasn’t so naïve about the Christmas Story that I had never heard these passages before. Yet for some reason the point of Christmas became much more clear. Now in 2010, there are a couple of verses found in the book of Luke, shared on the small cards in ’78, that always help me take a step back, take a deep breath, and gently remind myself of the real point of Christmas:
“The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” [Luke 2:10 – 11, New American Standard Bible]
Another way I take a mental step back, followed up with the deep breath, is listening to – sometimes singing along with – the beloved Christmas carols. I first heard my now favorite Christmas song during the same December of 1978 (I especially like the first verse; it met me right where I was at):
O HOLY NIGHT
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,
'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.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!
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.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
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,
'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.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!
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.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
Shortly after hearing the verses from Luke and hearing, and singing, “O Holy Night” I made a decision to give my life over to the Savior whose birth as a baby is celebrated at Christmas. This is the gentle reminder I need whenever the ho hums of melancholy strike.
3 comments:
A beautiful post, Mary.
A great reminder of what's really important.
Sandi
GriefWalk:Hope Through The Dark Places
http://sandielzinga.wordpress.com
Christmas usually makes me melancholy. Too many family demands. For the longest time I hated the fact there are 3 different kinds of Christmas--the spiritual, the commercial, and the "family as God." Now I just accept that they're all there.
Some years ago one of my relatives was going through some serious drunken episodes. I talked with you about it at the time. One memory that sticks with me from that awful December is sitting on the living room couch, late in the evening, listening to a Mannheim Steamroller CD.
"O Holy Night" came on, and I took in the various moods of the arrangement, including the thin oboe of the verse and the swelling strings of the chorus.
When the song was over, I wept, and knew that God was with me in my sorrow.
It remains one of my favorite songs/arrangements.
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