The Christmas Hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem was written in 1865 by Philip Brooks, a pastor from Boston and Philadelphia. He wrote the hymn after traveling to the Holy Land and worshipping at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Standing so close to where Jesus was born, hearing hymn after hymn of praise on Christmas Eve, inspired him so much that when he arrived back in the states he wrote the poem that would become this classic hymn and had a friend set it to music, for the children to sing at his church.
The song imagines a tranquil setting, with people asleep in a night that is utterly still. Yet while the people were sleeping, God was at work. An everlasting light was shining. The One who said let there be light, three long days before He created the sources of light, was bringing the light of the world into the world. John chapter 1 tells us the story of the light. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made. Without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it”. The people sleeping just off those dark streets didn’t even notice. They didn’t see the light, but if they had seen it would they have understood? God changed the entire course of history, while the people slept. The One people had been praying for at least a thousand years had come, and they were caught unaware.
Maybe it was because they had waited such a long time for their long awaited King, but when He came there was no room for Him. His mother birthed Him in a stable because there was nowhere else available. The prophets foretold it. He would be born of a virgin, from the line of Judah, in the city of David, the little town of Bethlehem. Somehow they missed it. Let’s make sure we don’t.
Now to be sure, the lyrics of the song are not Scripture. They’re a poem written by a man of God, inspired by a once in a lifetime trip to the place where his Savior was born. It’s doubtful things were still, in Bethlehem that first Christmas night. People were forced to come there from all over the world to be counted. There was likely a whole lot going on that night. Enough that the birth of one little boy might easily have been overlooked, and maybe that’s a lesson for us. In the midst of all of our preparations, do we end up missing the baby? In the dark streets of life, do we miss the ever- lasting light? Brothers and sisters, we need to be aware. Yes Jesus has come, and for that we praise Him, but He has also promised to come again. 20 centuries have passed, and once again, the streets are dark and many seem to be asleep. The length of time between the first and second coming is not a sign of a broken promise. It’s the sign that a loving and graceful God is patiently waiting for people to come into the light.
The light is coming. Don’t miss it. Philip Brooks finished the first verse of his song with a reminder for us all. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Jesus is the answer to all that we face in this world. He is the source of all of our hope and He is big enough to overcome our biggest fear. Jesus came on Christmas, and He’s coming again.
Be ready.