ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES by Sally Bair
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
With all the new Christmas songs out each year, the old classics remain true and popular. “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” is considered one of the finest ever written by an American.
Edmund H. Sears, a small-town pastor in 1849, wrote this hymn during difficult times in our country. Tensions over the slavery issue, the Industrial Revolution in the North, and the frantic gold rush in California created a sense of hopelessness, frustration, and distrust. People everywhere lacked peace back then. And that’s why Sears wrote this hymn—to bring a restored sense of peace and hope to the nation.
One of God’s greatest gifts to mankind is the peace that comes from knowing we are reconciled to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. When we truly know God’s peace, we can be at peace with our fellow men and ourselves. That’s the message Sears’s hymn emphasizes. And that’s the message from which we can gain hope in our world of unsettling circumstances—the message of God’s peace through Christ.
“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, goodwill to men, from heav’n’s all gracious King!’ The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.
“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.
“For lo, the days are hast’ning on, by prophet bards foretold, when with the ever-circling years comes round the age of gold when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling, and the whole world give back the song which now the angels sing.”
Luke 2:13: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”
Lord, we thank You for the peace You bring through Your Son, Jesus. How awesome that even though He was lowly-born in a manger, He could offer—and still offers—the incomparable gift of peace. We rest in Your peace this Christmas season. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Merry Christmas!
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