25 Days of Advent: O Little Town of Bethlehem

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by:
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

For Christ is born of Mary;
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth;
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.

Here's something I like about this song. The line that ends the first verse says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." Hopes and fears can be two sides of the same coin, in a way. You hope for something, and you fear the opposite. You hope for a healthy child, fearing the many illnesses and disabilities that exist. You hope for job security, fearing what would happen without that income. You hope for a peaceful family get-together, fearing the arguments that could occur. You hope for a change of heart, fearing that without it you are not the person you thought you were.

In little Bethlehem, on the first Christmas, God met all your hopes and fears in the person of Jesus Christ.

You have hopes? How big? How unlikely? "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Jesus himself promised that. By laying our hopes at the feet of Jesus, we allow Him to pick them up and wield them far more powerfully than we ever imagined.

You have fears? How bad? How scary? "There is no pit so deep but Christ is deeper still." In Jesus, ultimate fear is vanquished by perfect love. And daily fears are assuaged by fellowship, by prayer, by the promises of God's word.

All your hopes and fears are met in Him tonight. Now.