(this is a part of a blog series called "what's that song about?" Growing up, I never really knew where Christmas carols came from or what they were about.  They often used strange vocabulary I never came across in any other context.  This set of blogs is for those of us that never had the carols explained. Each week from now until Christmas, I will unpack a different popular Christmas carol.  Feel free to comment with any further questions you have on each song. Click to read my posts about "Angels we have heard on high" and "Silent Night.")

This is the Carol of carols. I’ve saved this for last because it is the one that affects me most profoundly and powerfully.  I guess that is the truth because it seems to portray the message of Christmas with more clarity and offers our souls lasting satisfaction.  Let’s get started.

    Once again, the focus of this carol is the night of Jesus’ birth.  Fortunately for us, it rewinds a bit.  The first verse starts with his birth, but really focuses where all of us start - at the heart.  The lines “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth” are the focus of the first stanza, and how powerful they are!  It’s saying that all of us have pined after things that haven’t satisfied us, left us in error and empty.  But it is with the appearance of Jesus, God Himself, that our souls comprehend, in the deepest sense, their worth!  We are not merely atoms that have found themselves stuck together, but that every man, woman and child has great value in God’s eyes.  How do we know this? Because God came and got his hands dirty to rescue and redeem his wayward, error-pining children.  As the song says, a new day has dawned.

    Verse two ends saying that our King of kings has been born to be our friend.  So many people mistakenly picture Jesus as a judgmental, religious leader that just condemns people for not being good enough. Verse three tells us that his message is peace and that He has come to set people free from the chains that have bound them.  John 3:17 says that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  This Christmas, God is inviting you to put your hope in his Son, Jesus, who came and was born as a child so that people like you and I could have our souls finally satisfied in Him.  Come visit us at Harbor Church this Sunday if you want to learn more about the Man who is God.

Oh 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 appear'd 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
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh 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.

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.