O Holy Night!

One of my favorite things about this time of year is Christmas music. I absolutely love it. It reminds me of family and love and all sorts of other wonderful things, but often don’t take enough time to really listen to the lyrics and think about how they relate to Christ (ok…maybe All I want for Christmas is You doesn’t relate….). I recently discovered an absolutely gorgeous version of O Holy Night by Kelly Clarkson that I wanted to share here, along with the lyrics:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, 
It is the night of the dear Saviour'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! Oh, hear the angel voices! 
O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 


The lyrics are just lovely. For some reason the image of the broken, weary, sinful world waiting and pining away for something more really gets to me – I can totally relate to the feeling of being unable to live up to God’s law and of being exhausted with struggling with my own sin. It’s wonderful that this image is contrasted with the portions about the thrill of experiencing the hope of salvation. It reminds me that my salvation is something meriting excitement and exhilaration (because let’s face it, I don’t always feel that way). I also love the part about Christ’s birth helping our soul’s find their worth - one of my favorite parts about my relationship with Christ is that He gives my life meaning and value. I feel the ending about falling on your knees is so appropriate – after thinking about all of this, I am moved to thank God for all of the amazing things He has done for me! I hope that today (or tonight) you all take a little bit of time to listen to the song, think about all Christ has done for you, and thank Him for it!