The Soul Felt Its Worth

Every year the radio stations start playing Christmas music more and more, earlier and earlier. I’m waiting for the year they end the broadcast day on July 4th with the “Star-Spangled Banner” and start July 5th with “Jingle Bells.” But each Christmas season I find myself scanning the radio stations for the song “Oh Holy Night.” It is my absolute favorite. It captures the essence of what Christmas (from Christ Mass) is about, what it means that God became flesh and dwelt among us. The song identifies our existence in a world that lay in sin and error pining. But when HE appeared, the soul felt its worth. This line doesn’t say that the soul wasn’t worth anything until he appeared, but it says that the soul had worth but apart from Him we can’t recognize it. We have to come to realization that God loves us so much that he was willing to put on flesh with all of its weaknesses and nerve endings and pain and not only live in that state, but die that way. He did it so we wouldn’t have to die that way, but so that we could live in glory and freedom. Our souls feel their worth when we realize that the God of the universe lived and died for us in the flesh. He values us, so we are valuable. Self-esteem is truly accomplished when we learn of God’s esteem for us. This news gives us a thrill of hope and in our weariness we can rejoice. “Fall on your knees,” the song says. For some this may seem like a demeaning demand, but for those who have truly discovered their worth as a child of God, falling on their knees is a natural response. It is actually joyful and awe-filled instead of being compelled by an unwilling sense of guilt-driven duty. The song takes us to that moment in time when God in the flesh could be observed in Bethlehem. “Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming, with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.” We can only come to the cradle and likewise the cross by the light of faith and that faith is authored by the One that was in the cradle and on the cross. Then the song states the amazing and almost paradoxical essence of the Gospel, “The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger.” The God of the universe lying in a feeding trough!! Why? Because He loved us that much. “In all our trials he was born to be our friend. He knows our needs, our weakness is no stranger [to him].” Behold our King! This song strikes the deep chords of our hearts. Macayla’s disease, cancer, violence, our sin and the evil of this world are undeniable, but the God of the universe loves us and so much so that he lowered himself to be born in the weakness of skin and bone, to be subjected to this evil world, to be tempted in every way but free of sin. He values us. He wants to free us and the creation around us. “In his name all oppression shall cease.” We know what we and the world are like. We know what we and the world SHOULD be like. Jesus gives us faith and grace that guides us from where we are to where we should be. This faith and grace empowers us along that journey. This faith and grace transforms us from who we are to who Jesus created us to be. Indeed, let all with in us praise His holy name because that Holy Night led to Easter Sunday!