"Many believe His power exists only to help us overcome sin. This understanding stops very short of the Father's intent for us to become witnesses of another world. Doesn't it seem strange that our whole Christian life should be focused on overcoming something that has already been defeated? Sin and its nature have been yanked out by the roots. Many constantly call out to God for more power to live in victory. What more can He do for us? If His death wasn't enough, what else is there? That battle has already been fought and won! Is it possible that the process of constantly bringing up issues dealt with by the blood is what has actually given life to those issues?
Many in the Church are camped on the wrong side of the Cross. The apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he said, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The word reckon points to our need to change our minds. I don't need power to overcome something if I'm dead to it. But I do need power for boldness for the miraculous and for the impossible.
Part of our problem is this: we are accustomed only to doing things for God that are not impossible. If God doesn't show up and help us, we can still succeed. There must be an aspect of the Christian life that is impossible without divine intervention. That keeps us on the edge and puts us in contact with our true calling.
Make no mistake, character is a supreme issue with God. But His approach is much different than ours. His righteousness/character is not built into us by our own efforts. It is developed when we quit striving and learn to abandon ourselves completely to do His will."
- Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth - Bill Johnson,
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Face-to-Face With God
Face-to-Face With God
What happens when God shows up and He is totally other than we expected? What happens when we encounter God? Face-to-face with God, we are always aware of His total "other-ness." He is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine, and he is especially beyond being manageable. How does life change when it runs head-on into an extraordinary God? We get some clues when we study what happened when biblical characters encountered God, worshiped Him, and responded to His strong presence.
When we encounter God, He will disclose a heart not right with Him. When God comes walking in the garden of our hearts, we may try to hide behind the fig leaves of our own righteousness if our hearts are harboring sin or unbelief (Gen 3:7-10). Remember that before our sin, Jesus already went to the cross to enable us to receive the mercy and grace of God.
When we encounter God in worship, we will surrender completely to God to put our "Isaacs" on the altar. Worship precedes surrender. Abraham told his servants, "[The boy and I] will worship and then we will come back to you" (Gen 22:5,9-10). When they reached the place where God directed, Abraham built an altar and prepared the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him on the wood as the sacrifice, and he took the knife to slay his own son. At that moment, Abraham revealed his fear of the Lord. Then God revealed Himself in a new dimension, Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides the Lamb.
When we encounter God in worship, we will have his courage to go against overwhelming odds and see Him do what only He can do in delivering those in rebellion. God said to Gideon, "Have I not sent you? Surely I will be with you" (Judges 6:14,16). In the strength of that promise and at God's instruction, Gideon pared down his initial muster of 32,000 men to 300. Fresh from worshiping God, he confidently told the men, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands" (Judges 7:15). With the unconventional weapons of pitchers, torches, and trumpets, God provided His deliverance which only He could give.
When we encounter Him in our sorrow and broken dreams, He will come to us to open the Scriptures to our hearts. Walking away from their disappointment, two dejected disciples met Jesus unawares (Luke 24:13-32). As they talked with Him, He explained Scriptures they had never understood. Likewise, God will come to us with comfort and understanding in His Word when we think all hope is lost. There are truths in His Word that we will understand only when we bring our great hopelessness to Him.
When we encounter Him in worship, we will be assured of His presence, go in His authority, and make disciples who in turn will repeat the process.
When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they worshiped Him. Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And surely I am with you always" (Matt 28:17-20).
Did you notice how many of these real people encountered God face-to-face in their desperation? Think of Abraham at the altar with Isaac, Moses at the burning bush and at the Red Sea, Jacob before meeting Esau, Joshua before a walled city, Gideon before a hostile army, Jehoshaphat before three hostile armies, and David in great trials of every kind. Listen to God tell you how He wants to meet you and show you more of Himself, His will, and His ways in your present circumstances. In all your life, look for Him. He is there.
Excerpted from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2, page 35-38. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.
What happens when God shows up and He is totally other than we expected? What happens when we encounter God? Face-to-face with God, we are always aware of His total "other-ness." He is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine, and he is especially beyond being manageable. How does life change when it runs head-on into an extraordinary God? We get some clues when we study what happened when biblical characters encountered God, worshiped Him, and responded to His strong presence.
When we encounter God, He will disclose a heart not right with Him. When God comes walking in the garden of our hearts, we may try to hide behind the fig leaves of our own righteousness if our hearts are harboring sin or unbelief (Gen 3:7-10). Remember that before our sin, Jesus already went to the cross to enable us to receive the mercy and grace of God.
When we encounter God in worship, we will surrender completely to God to put our "Isaacs" on the altar. Worship precedes surrender. Abraham told his servants, "[The boy and I] will worship and then we will come back to you" (Gen 22:5,9-10). When they reached the place where God directed, Abraham built an altar and prepared the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him on the wood as the sacrifice, and he took the knife to slay his own son. At that moment, Abraham revealed his fear of the Lord. Then God revealed Himself in a new dimension, Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides the Lamb.
When we encounter God in worship, we will have his courage to go against overwhelming odds and see Him do what only He can do in delivering those in rebellion. God said to Gideon, "Have I not sent you? Surely I will be with you" (Judges 6:14,16). In the strength of that promise and at God's instruction, Gideon pared down his initial muster of 32,000 men to 300. Fresh from worshiping God, he confidently told the men, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands" (Judges 7:15). With the unconventional weapons of pitchers, torches, and trumpets, God provided His deliverance which only He could give.
When we encounter Him in our sorrow and broken dreams, He will come to us to open the Scriptures to our hearts. Walking away from their disappointment, two dejected disciples met Jesus unawares (Luke 24:13-32). As they talked with Him, He explained Scriptures they had never understood. Likewise, God will come to us with comfort and understanding in His Word when we think all hope is lost. There are truths in His Word that we will understand only when we bring our great hopelessness to Him.
When we encounter Him in worship, we will be assured of His presence, go in His authority, and make disciples who in turn will repeat the process.
When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they worshiped Him. Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And surely I am with you always" (Matt 28:17-20).
Did you notice how many of these real people encountered God face-to-face in their desperation? Think of Abraham at the altar with Isaac, Moses at the burning bush and at the Red Sea, Jacob before meeting Esau, Joshua before a walled city, Gideon before a hostile army, Jehoshaphat before three hostile armies, and David in great trials of every kind. Listen to God tell you how He wants to meet you and show you more of Himself, His will, and His ways in your present circumstances. In all your life, look for Him. He is there.
Excerpted from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2, page 35-38. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Our part - to rest! His part - to sustain!
Do you recollect the delicious sense of rest with which you have sometimes gone to bed at night, after a day of great exertion and weariness? How delightful was the sensation of relaxing every muscle and letting your body go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort! The strain of the day had ceased, for a few hours at least, and the work of the day had been laid off. You no longer had to hold up an aching head or a weary back. You trusted yourself to the bed in an absolute confidence, and it held you up, without effort, or strain, or even thought, on your part. You rested!
But suppose you had doubted the strength or the stability of your bed and had dreaded each moment to find it giving way beneath you and landing you on the floor; could you have rested then? Would not every muscle have been strained in a fruitless effort to hold yourself up, and would not the weariness have been greater than if you had not gone to bed at all?
Let this analogy teach you what it means to rest in the Lord. Let your souls lie down upon the couch of His sweet will, as your bodies lie down in their beds at night. Relax every strain, and lay off every burden. Let yourself go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, sure that, since He holds you up, you are perfectly safe. Your part is simply to rest. His part is to sustain you; and He cannot fail.
- Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life
But suppose you had doubted the strength or the stability of your bed and had dreaded each moment to find it giving way beneath you and landing you on the floor; could you have rested then? Would not every muscle have been strained in a fruitless effort to hold yourself up, and would not the weariness have been greater than if you had not gone to bed at all?
Let this analogy teach you what it means to rest in the Lord. Let your souls lie down upon the couch of His sweet will, as your bodies lie down in their beds at night. Relax every strain, and lay off every burden. Let yourself go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, sure that, since He holds you up, you are perfectly safe. Your part is simply to rest. His part is to sustain you; and He cannot fail.
- Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Joy Of His Face
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted." - Psalm 89:14-16
Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father's delight in us. Those who live before the face of God know the sound of joy, for the sound of joy is the actual sound of heaven. There is no darkness in heaven, not even a shadow, because the light of His face is everywhere. In the same way, there is no discouragement or depression in heaven, because the sound of joy radiates from the face of God. Praying for the kingdom of God to come now "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) is in essence a prayer for the atmosphere of heaven to permeate Earth - the atmosphere of joy.
- Bill Johnson, Face to Face with God
Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father's delight in us. Those who live before the face of God know the sound of joy, for the sound of joy is the actual sound of heaven. There is no darkness in heaven, not even a shadow, because the light of His face is everywhere. In the same way, there is no discouragement or depression in heaven, because the sound of joy radiates from the face of God. Praying for the kingdom of God to come now "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) is in essence a prayer for the atmosphere of heaven to permeate Earth - the atmosphere of joy.
- Bill Johnson, Face to Face with God
Monday, January 31, 2011
WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE
WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE
"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26
If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.
Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).
Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26
If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.
Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).
Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
O Holy Night
The Amazing Story of 'O Holy Night'
By Ace Collins
Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by U.S. abolitionists, the song continues to inspire.
The strange and fascinating story of "O Holy Night" began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music.
In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.
In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France's capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest's request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" had been completed.
Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe-Charles Adam, for help.
The son of a well-known classical musician, Adam had studied in the Paris conservatoire. His talent and fame brought requests to write works for orchestras and ballets all over the world. Yet the lyrics that his friend Cappeau gave him must have challenged the composer in a fashion unlike anything he received from London, Berlin, or St. Petersburg.
As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adam the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adam quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. The finished work of Adam pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve
Initially, "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement, and church leaders discovered that Adam was a Jew, the song--which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France--was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.
Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.
Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."
After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."
The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.
In 1906, Reginald Fessenden--a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison--did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.
Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle--hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.
Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast--but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.
Since that first rendition at a small Christmas mass in 1847, "O Holy Night" has been sung millions of times in churches in every corner of the world. And since the moment a handful of people first heard it played over the radio, the carol has gone on to become one of the entertainment industry's most recorded and played spiritual songs. This incredible work--requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer, and brought to Americans to serve as much as a tool to spotlight the sinful nature of slavery as tell the story of the birth of a Savior--has become one of the most beautiful, inspired pieces of music ever created.
Reprinted from "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas" for educational purposes only, from Zondervan.
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
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!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
By Ace Collins
Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by U.S. abolitionists, the song continues to inspire.
The strange and fascinating story of "O Holy Night" began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music.
In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.
In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France's capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest's request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" had been completed.
Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe-Charles Adam, for help.
The son of a well-known classical musician, Adam had studied in the Paris conservatoire. His talent and fame brought requests to write works for orchestras and ballets all over the world. Yet the lyrics that his friend Cappeau gave him must have challenged the composer in a fashion unlike anything he received from London, Berlin, or St. Petersburg.
As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adam the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adam quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. The finished work of Adam pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve
Initially, "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement, and church leaders discovered that Adam was a Jew, the song--which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France--was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.
Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.
Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."
After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."
The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.
In 1906, Reginald Fessenden--a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison--did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.
Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle--hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.
Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast--but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.
Since that first rendition at a small Christmas mass in 1847, "O Holy Night" has been sung millions of times in churches in every corner of the world. And since the moment a handful of people first heard it played over the radio, the carol has gone on to become one of the entertainment industry's most recorded and played spiritual songs. This incredible work--requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer, and brought to Americans to serve as much as a tool to spotlight the sinful nature of slavery as tell the story of the birth of a Savior--has become one of the most beautiful, inspired pieces of music ever created.
Reprinted from "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas" for educational purposes only, from Zondervan.
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
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!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Peace on earth
The reality is that there will never be peace in the world until there's peace within nations. And there will never be peace in our nation until there's peace in our communities. There won't be peace in our communities until there's peace in our families. And there won't be peace in our families until there's peace in our individual lives. That won't happen until the Prince of Peace reigns in our hearts. Jesus came at Christmas to bring to us three kinds of peace:
Peace with God
The peace of God
Peace with others
"A savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!" - Luke 2:11
- Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas
Peace with God
The peace of God
Peace with others
"A savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!" - Luke 2:11
- Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas
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