This wilderness fear is an oppressive and terrible thing when you are alone at night.”
–James Oliver Curwood (Back to God’s Country)
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’”
–Matthew 25:6 (NKJV)
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The nation was in the woes of poverty and turmoil. The rich were getting richer and the poor was just hanging on. The year was 1849 and while the nation was at peace internationally following a victorious war with Mexico, there was internal strife reaching the boiling point. Gold had been discovered in California which lured people in the false hope of striking it rich while actually bringing on a different kind of poverty. There was an apathetic mood in the country and the tension was building in regard to slavery. It was in the midst of seeing the social problems of the time that the Reverend Edmund Sears penned his wonderful carol, “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.”
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old.
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From heav’n’s all gracious King!”
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Men do not often hear the bright sounds of Christmas for one reason or another. It may be the bitterness of the heart, or anger, or hurt, or despair. They hope in material things and that hope is false, therefore driving them deeper into despondency. Others simply continue on just getting by; they want to make it through another day. Then there are the scoffers not caring or believing even though the light and the sounds are there for them to hear and see.
Yet with the woes of sing and strife
The world hath suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!
However, even in the midst of men hardening their hearts or uncaring about the plight of others the song of Christmas still rings forth. The world may be in despair and men’s hearts evil, the news of the birth of Christ is still there. The bells, the organ playing, the carols being sung, the lights upon the square all show forth that there is hope because of the Babe being born in that dark night in Bethlehem.
Still through the cloven skies they come
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heav’nly music floats
O’er all the weary world:
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hov’ring wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.
Life can be tough. Life is often not fair. Then stop–stop the fretting, the crying, and the moaning. Stop the frantic pace to make just one more dollar or to make ends meet. The struggle may be wearing you out so “rest beside the weary road.”
And ye, beneath life’s crushing load
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.
Time does not stop. Christ came to a weary and sinful world to bring hope and salvation. The years go on and on, yet for a short season each year we are given the opportunity to pause, to stop and think of the birth of Jesus and what this means for mankind.
For lo, the days are hast’ning on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever circling years
Shall come the time foretold;
When the new heaven and earth shall own
The prince of peace their King,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.
The world today is in the midst of confusion. It is in a sorry state. There is apathy, complacency, hatred, and anger. Ears do not hear the sound of Christmas. Ah, but hearken–listen, there is a new song in the air. It is not the song of the angels when the birth of Jesus was announced. It is a different song. Can you hear the angels begin to hum? Listen, they are ready to sing in, not the Baby, but the triumphant King. Listen! He is coming!