A Weary World
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!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
A few days ago, 90 year old Margaret Keenan unwittingly - and perhaps unwillingly - became an overnight celebrity by being the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer Covid vaccine.
Someone said, "It has given us hope." Another, “It has given a lot of people around the country hope,” and someone else “I just think it’s a really good day for Great Britain.”
There can be no doubt that the last eight months have been wearying for many of us, in one way or another. Wired to thrive on future hope, we naturally drift into despair when there is nothing positive ahead of us. If the future is merely the same as the present, we find life tiring.
So the first Covid vaccine was regarded by many as a ray of hope, since potentially it could put an end to the dark reign of Covid.
Our carolling author says the same thing about the birth of Jesus:
A thrill of hope-the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
The incarnation brought hope, the breaking of a new and glorious dawn, he urges us to remember and sing.
How does the birth of Jesus breathe Hope?
Four Rays of Hope
First of all, the birth of Jesus reminds us that God had not forgotten mankind but still loves men and women. Four hundred years had passed without prophets or news from heaven, but then all of a sudden, God comes down to earth to reveal the heart of God - God wants to dwell with us, so he sent Immanuel, "God-with-us" to earth.
Does God care for me, for this Covid-ravaged world? The birth of Jesus says "Yes!"
Secondly, the birth of Jesus reminds us that God cares for the weak. Absolutely everything about the birth of Jesus spoke to the poor. He was born not in Rome or Jerusalem but in a backwater town called Bethlehem. He was born, not to a prince and princess but to an obscure Mary and a local carpenter. He was born not amidst the finest medical care, but in a stable. He was born not to the fanfare of trumpets but to the sound of silence. And so the list goes on...
Does God care about nobody me or nobody you? He does. For his Son entered our nobody worlds to prove it.
Thirdly, the birth of Jesus would prove to be a great comfort in the face of suffering. For the babe of Bethlehem would grow into the Man of Sorrows able fully to sympathise with us. Does God in heaven understand me? He does now!
Fourthly, the birth of Jesus gives us hope of sins forgiven, because his name, Jesus, was given to him to signify that he would save his people form their sins (Matthew 1:21). We all sin against God and against our fellow man. We can say things that cannot be taken back and can do things that have lasting impact on ourselves and those around us. Can those things be forgiven, we wonder? Or must we carry their weight of guilt, remorse and regret for ever? The birth of Jesus gives us the hope of sins forgiven through the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
Fall on your Knees!
No human being could bring such vast and universal hope to the world, and to me and to you. And so our carol writer urges us to fall on our knees in worship.
What a fitting way to celebrate Christmas this year - to worship the Lord Jesus by lip and by life.
A SONG FOR THE DAY
A lovely modern song about Jesus, our Living Hope
How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness, Your loving-kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Who could imagine so great a mercy?
What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken, I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Saviour, I’m Yours forever
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus, Yours is the victory!
Phil Wickham / Brian Johnson
You can sing along HERE.
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our loving Father in heaven,
In these strange and weary days, teach us to look above and to look ahead. We thank you for a season of the year when we can choose to remember the coming of God into the world to give us hope in this life and hope for the world to come.
Save us from expecting too much from this passing world. Help us to love and serve you today, but to remember always that our citizenship is in heaven and teach us to eagerly await a Saviour from there.
We worship the Lord Jesus Christ in whose name we pray these things,
Amen.
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