O Holy Night Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

It is Christmas Eve, and families like us are gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I can remember going to Christmas Eve Candlelight Services growing up and it was among my favorite times to go to church. The quiet evening service, carols, candles, and the fascination of Immanuel. The coming of Christ transformed our world and opened the door of peace between us and God.

On Christmas Eve night 1914 another kind of gathering happened. Something that underscores the prolific power of our Lord. It was WWI and there was fierce trench warfare against Germany in Belgium. The battle had reached a stalemate, as over 100,000 troops on both sides stared each other down. The area between the lines was known as ‘No Man’s Land.’ Yet, on a Christmas Eve 109 years ago, the war came a halt – a holy halt.

Everyone has their own favorite Christmas carol. A song that when it is sung warms your heart and enlivens your soul. For many, that song is O Holy Night.

*Solist: O Holy Night (1 Verse)*

Maybe just by hearing those familiar lyrics, you can feel the beauty of the night of the birth of Jesus. Maybe you can smell the crisp air like the shepherds in the field. Maybe you can sense the hush of a sleepy town in Israel as Jesus takes the breath of life.

O Holy Night actually follows the birth narrative of Jesus that is found in Luke 2:8-20:

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. 11 For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:8–14).

The shepherds would have been on high alert against wild predators who would attack their flocks. But something unexpected happened as an angelic choir appeared. There is something comforting to us when we picture this scene. A choir of divinely appointed messengers reminds us that despite the condition of the world. God is still there, and He hasn’t forgotten us. We need that reminder this Christmas.

*Solist: “Angels We Have Heard on High” (1 Verse)*

I. THE HOLY MESSAGE

The first words they speak to the fearful shepherds are, “Do not be afraid.” The angels brought good news that the world had been waiting on for so long. It was a birth announcement that brought new hope.

One of the more touching moments in our life was the day we adopted Noah. I remember holding him for the first time. He could nestle quite comfortably in the crook of my arm. There was something so mesmerizing about holding him that I never knew from holding any other child. He was given to us by God after Andrea, and I had prayed for years for a child of our own. It completely changed our lives, how we view the world, and how we saw ourselves as people. It changed our marriage, and it shifted our entire understanding of life. Most powerfully, Noah’s arrival transformed how we understood our relationship with God.

Maybe that’s part of the reason why God came as a baby because, in the same way, the innocence of that tiny life would shift the entire world. The angels told the shepherds that in the city of David, a Savior had been born. The arrival of the Messiah meant they would be rescued from bondage to sin. They would now have peace, even in the midst of oppression and struggle. This newborn baby who they would find wrapped in swaddling cloth was the hope of Israel and the entire world.

Since 1919, King's College Chapel, Cambridge starts with the processional for Christmas Eve service, with “Once in Royal David's City.” The first verse is sung by a single boy. The second verse is sung by the choir, and the congregation joins in the third verse. Excluding the first verse, the hymn is accompanied by the organ. Traditionally, the soloist is usually chosen right before the performance by the choirmaster.