Some of us feel sad at Christmas while others celebrate the secular trappings of the “most wonderful time of the year.” When we focus on ourselves rather than on the miracle of the Christ child, we can miss the real meaning of Christmas. This hymn meditation explores some reasons why people missed it 2000 years ago just as they miss it today.
Every year in November, even before Thanksgiving, we begin seeing the preparations for Christmas. Tree farms begin opening; store decorations appear; and the internet advertising increases. All around us are the familiar signs of the Christmas season. It’s hard to miss. But, many people miss the real meaning of Christmas! As we focus on this familiar hymn for our meditation, let’s discover some of the pitfalls that get in the way of our celebration of the true meaning of Christmas.
About the composer
Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest in Philadelphia and later in Boston, visited Bethlehem on Christmas Eve in 1865. That visit had a powerful impact on Brooks.
Three years later, he was inspired to write the words to this hymn for his children’s Sunday school class. His organist, Lewis Redner wrote the music. In the United Kingdom, his words were set to the tune “Forest Green” and first published in the 1906 British Hymnal. It first appeared in the United States in The Sunday School Hymnal in 1871.
The rest is history.
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 tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary,
and, gathered all above
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King
and peace to all the earth.
How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heav’n.
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 today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Immanuel!
There are many biblical truths contained in these words. However, we will focus our meditation on the third verse and conclude with the first part of the fourth verse. I want to acknowledge the teaching of John MacArthur on this topic as an important source for this meditation.
Missing God’s greatest gift
In verse three, the emphasis is on how silently the gift of Christmas (Jesus) is given to the world. As we read the story of the birth of the Christ child, there was no great fanfare, no parade, no triumphal entry . . . just a humble beginning. So, let’s look at Luke, chapter 2 for the specifics of His birth.
First, we find that there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn – a couple about to give birth. Why? Bethlehem and Jerusalem were overrun with people who had come to be registered based on the order from Caesar Augustus. The inn keeper was very busy with all these customers. He was too busy to attend to this lowly couple. He didn’t even find time to assist them with the delivery although it probably took place on his property.
Luke 2:7 indicates that Mary wrapped the Baby Jesus in cloths and put Him in a manger. This conveys very sparce conditions surrounding His birth. So, the inn keeper missed the significance of this event because he was too busy.
On the other end of the spectrum is another individual who missed the real meaning of this event. In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus, we find the wise men asking this very important question.
“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”
When King Herod heard this, he was very troubled. The king got the religious leaders together to find out where this birth would take place. They answered him based on the prophecy in Micah 5:2 . . . the birth would take place in Bethlehem.
Herod told the wise men to go find this baby so he could also go worship him. But Herod actually wanted to have him eliminated. The wise men found the Christ Child but they did not go back to Herod because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
When Herod found out that the wise men had returned to their country by another route and thwarted his plans, the king ordered all male Jewish children ages 2 years and younger to be murdered.
So, Herod totally missed the real meaning of Christmas. Why? Herod was afraid of Jesus! He wanted to maintain complete control. As the king, Herod could tolerate no challenges to his authority. He did not want to submit to anyone!
The religious leaders also missed the real meaning of Christmas. They were following their religious rules and they did not recognize that they needed a savior . . . a messiah. They were familiar with the prophecies of a messiah from the Old Testament. But, they were secure in their own rituals.
Jesus told a parable which clearly illustrates the problem the Pharisees and Scribes had with their religion. In Luke, chapter 18 Jesus told a parable to “those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt”.
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Luke 10-14
The religious leaders missed the significance of Christmas because they were arrogant and self-righteous. Even though they knew God’s promise that a messiah would come, they wouldn’t travel a few miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to inquire about the possibility that he had come.
The people of Jerusalem missed the significance of this birth for a similar reason. They were caught up in their religious rituals. Even though the shepherds, after having seen the Christ child, “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard as it had been told to them,” the people of Jerusalem were not interested. Even though they were under Roman rule and desperately awaiting a messiah to deliver them from this oppression, they did not go to see the Christ child. The only record we have of interest among the Jewish population is that of one man and one woman.
We read about these two folks in Luke 2. Simeon appears first. He is a “righteous and devout” man who was waiting for the one who would bring consolation to Israel. The Holy Spirit had promised that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph brought the Christ child into the temple, Simeon took Him in his arms and Simeon exclaimed,
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
— Luke 2: 29-32
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.
There was also a prophetess named Anna. When she saw the Christ child, “she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. But the rest of Jerusalem paid no attention to their coming Messiah. They were too involved in their own religious rituals.
John describes it this way in chapter 1.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
— John 1:11
Another important group missed the significance of this event. The Romans missed it because they worshipped other gods. Even though they were actively involved in events surrounding His birth, they missed it. The Roman soldiers supervised the registration ordered by Caesar Augustus. They also were charged with the execution of all the Jewish boys under age three. So, they knew and participated in activities taking place when Jesus was born but they had other gods. In fact, they had 12 major gods and many more subordinate ones. They basically had a god for every dimension of their lives.
Paul recognized this as he addressed the Areopagus . . . in Acts 17 we read the following.
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: “To the unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
— Acts 17: 22-23
The lessons for us
What can we learn about the birth of Jesus from the reactions of these individuals and groups? We can miss the real significance of Christmas in a number of ways (not all identified here).
- We can be too busy with stuff and activities to experience the real significance of Christmas.
- We can be afraid or unwilling to submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus. We want to be in charge of our lives so we miss His real significance.
- We can be too involved with man-made rituals associated with our “religion” to see the significance of Jesus.
- We can worship other gods and not accept the Triune God as the only true god. This doesn’t mean that we worship Greek gods. We can easily worship other “things.” Also, there are still billions of people in the world today who do not accept the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the one and only true God. They worship other gods.
In closing, lets’ go back to John 1 and look at verse 12 . . . this is the Good News!
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
— John 1: 12
A closing challenge
As we approach the Christmas season, let’s remember what Christ has done for us and not forget He is the reason for the season. Also, when we are in conversations with others (friends, family, coworkers), let’s take the opportunity to “keep Christ in Christmas” through those conversations.
Have a blessed Christmas . . . focusing on Him!
Hymns for Him 