“How silently, how silently,
the wonderous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.”
O Little Town of Bethlehem was written in 1868 by Phillips Brooks for the children of his church. It was inspired by his memories of a meaningful Christmas Eve he spent in Bethlehem.
In the hymn’s familiar words, O Little Town of Bethlehem
describes the night of Jesus’ birth. It was quiet and still while the mortals slept. All were unaware of the importance of the night. The angels didn’t go to the leaders of Bethlehem to proclaim the birth of the Savior, instead they went to the lowly shepherds in the fields to proclaim his birth. There was no fanfare for the most miraculous event for all of humankind.
Just as the people of Bethlehem slept through the miracle of
Jesus’ birth, it is very easy for us to do the same today. As our days get busy and hectic with the holiday events, we should not let our attention be pulled away from God and his wondrous gift. God chose an unassuming place for the birth of Jesus and the lowly shepherds as his first guests. God also chooses us, ordinary
people to bless.
Jesus, the everlasting light, was born that night. Our hopes and fears are now met with unconditional love and forgiveness. How silently the gift of Christ was given and how humbly we can still accept it today.
The last verse of the hymn is our prayer.
Prayer: Dear God, “O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today… O come to us; abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!” Amen.
Maggie Zerkus