Welcome to part 2 of my analysis of the beloved Christmas song, O Holy Night. Here's part 1 for those of you who missed it. I should be studying for my final on parasitic pathogens and infections, but learning about the parasite known as Leishmania is not all that fun. So instead, I'm taking the next few minutes to write this post as I prolong my studying, and if you go to OSU, here's a chance to take a little break for yourself! And if you don't go to OSU, great, you have all kinds of time to read this! We pick up the song in verse 2.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Here the first few verses refer to the well known story of the 3 wise men who come to visit Christ. Not much is known about these 3 kings. Of the four gospel accounts, only Matthew records this incident, but this story of their visit holds a lot of significance. These Wise Men, the Magi, are not Jews, but they have an understanding of Jewish scripture and prophecy. In the book of Matthew 2:6, they quote a prophecy from Micah 5:2, "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel." They come from, according to the song, Orient land, or east of Israel. Why would these non Jews, these Gentiles, be interested in the Jewish Messiah? They had faith in God. This Messiah is not just for the nation of Israel, but for the entire world. Jesus came to be worshiped by people of all different cultures and races. He came for everybody.
The next line refers to Jesus as being the King of Kings, which is kind of weird considering the circumstances, that he is lying in a lowly manger. The King of Kings, the God of the universe, the first born over all creation, who has all the power in the world, has been reduced to an infant, incapable of surviving without the help of his mother. The almighty God became a helpless baby. Just let that truth sink in for a little bit, no matter how many times you have heard that before. It's still amazing.
The verse continues, that Jesus was born to be our friend in our trials. Do you remember a few years ago, when those "Jesus is my Homeboy" t-shirts came out? I hate those t-shirts. Jesus is not simply your homeboy. He is so much more. He's not just someone you go to in times of trouble, because he's a good listener and will guide you on your life journey. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need". Jesus experienced everything we have gone through. He experienced all the pain and suffering of the world when he was crucified on the cross. He's not just an onlooker. He is an active participant in our lives. He's more than a homeboy, he is more than an acquaintance. He is our friend, the best friend we will ever have (yeah I know how cheesy that sounds, but that doesn't mean it's any less true).
The section ends with a call to worship. No, it's more than a call, it's a command to kneel in recognition of our place before God and to see Jesus for who he really is, our Lord and savior. He's not just your homeboy, not just a good moral teacher, not a set of rules to follow, but the sovereign king of creation. Jesus may not look the way you think God should look. But God does not conform to our norms, to our expectations. We are called to follow what he has planned for our life, and the first step, is to admit that we are sinful people who need this baby to live a life that we never could.
Well, this concludes my study break. Now I'm off to the wonderful world of parasites and medical terminology. Check back soon for the thrilling finale of my analysis of O Holy Night. (meh who am I kidding, it won't be all that thrilling, but it will still be good).
Until our paths cross again...
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