Christmas Hymns 1

Hey, this is Jim Graham from the Masculine Journey Podcast, where we explore relationship instead of religion every week. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the bestselling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.

And now, here's James. Oh, you're going to love this for the next few weeks on Encouraging Prayer? We're going to be looking at some Christmas hymns that also help us to pray.

And what we really want to do is bring out the meaning of some of these hymns so that when you sing them, really, you'll also be praying. This week, we're looking at one of my favorite hymns, O Little Town of Bethlehem, by Phillips Brooks. That was his name, by the way, Phillips, with an S, not Philip. He was a pastor in Philadelphia over 150 years ago. And in 1865, he attended a Christmas Eve service in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity, and it moved him deeply.

He was reflecting on that later. He wrote out the words to the hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem. I'd like to read them like a poem. Here are the first two verses. 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 street 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 wondering love.

O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth, and praise us, sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth. Wow, such beautiful lyrics. What a hymn.

I mean, it really helps to slow down and really think about what Phillips is saying right there, right? He puts so much into those words, and he paints just a beautiful picture. Yeah, he really does, and that just is sort of the setup for what comes next, because I mentioned this is one of my favorite Christmas hymns, and it's really because of these next two verses that I think just sum up the whole of Christmas and why Jesus came. They're just breathtaking.

Again, there's just, he puts so much into them. So let me read verses three and four, how silently the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. 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 Emmanuel. Wow, and you know, I'm curious as I can be. I mean, those are amazing verses, but clearly they have some real meaning to you.

What's behind that? Well, the first is just the whole point about Jesus coming into a world of sin, and if we humble our hearts and receive him, he will enter into us, and that's what he does through his spirit, and he cleanses us and washes us, makes us a new creation in his love through what he did for us at the cross. So this whole notion, you know, that this ends with is a prayer that's literally, Lord, come to us, descend to us and cast out our sin.

Set us free, if you will. Then mentions we hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell, but come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel. This whole picture of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us, and the beautiful thing about it, the reason why this is my favorite hymn is because the meaning of it was so real to Phillips Brooks as well. One of my favorite quotes in all of literature comes from a letter that he wrote to a young friend who, toward the end of Brooks' life, he wanted to know the secret to Brooks' peace, and Brooks was going through a very difficult time when this friend asked him this. He responds in a very candid way with these words, these last years have a peace and fullness which there did not used to be. I do not think it is the mere quietness of advancing age. I am sure it is not indifference to anything which I used to care for.

I am sure that it is a deeper knowledge and truer love of Christ. I cannot tell you how personal this grows to me. He is here.

He knows me, and I know him. It is no figure of speech. It is the realest thing in the world, and every day makes it realer, and one wonders with delight what it will grow to as the years go on. Isn't that amazing?

Oh my goodness. And actually, when you were reading those verses a few moments ago, a thought occurred to me that really, I guess, should have occurred years ago, but it just now did. Like, oh my goodness, that when you ask Jesus into your heart, it is Christmas Day in your life. There is another verse to this that is usually left out of hymnals, but the way it goes is, Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed child, Where misery cries out to thee, son of the mother mild, Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more. Yeah, it's the complete, John Eldridge puts it this way, which I think is so beautiful, and him being an author and you being an author, I'm sure you can appreciate that, and maybe he's quoting something that somebody else said, but it's just amazing. He said, you know, here you have this phenomenal crescendo on, you know, all of the kingdom is the author of the story himself steps into the story on Christmas Day. And so, I had never thought about it, but when we ask Christ into our life, the author of our very life is stepping into our life.

Yeah. And it's Christmas. And that's, yeah, and that's the beautiful thing that you see with this hymn, is that also, you see the author stepping into the meaning of the words, you know, in the quote that I read you about, I can't tell you how real this grows to me. I mean, this is the wonder of Christmas, you know, that you and I can know a savior who loves us more than life, and that it just gets better with him. Oh, what we have to look forward to in him.

You know, that's why, why Brooks said, one wonders with delight what it will grow to as the years go on. Can I wrap things up with a word of prayer, Robbie? Please, please. Yes, Lord, bless us this Christmas to know you, to love you, to walk with you, to take in the wonder of all that you are and live with you. Emmanuel, God with us in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.