Sweetly and almost whispered, the carolers sing into the cold night’s air…
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
Ever wonder about what “hopes and fears” are being referred to in this song? Quite easily the “hopes” could be summarized in the various titles given to Jesus: the gentle shepherd; the prince of peace; the wonderful counselor. Our savior. Our Lord. God with us. These, and many more, describe the blessing and hope that has been given to us in Jesus Christ.
But what about the “fears”? This striking contrast is magnified in light of these words of Jesus…
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34–39)
This almost a polar opposite mode of Jesus is further illustrated while performing his first miracle at the prompting of his mother (turning the water into wine at the wedding of Cana), Jesus says to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me?” (John 2:4).
Then even more surprising was Jesus’ harsh response to a Gentile woman who begged him to help her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus rejects her saying, “It’s not good throw the children’s bread to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26).
And then once again we’re given a seemingly contradictory glimpse into Jesus when told that he went and “fashioned a whip out of cords and drove the people buying and selling out of the temple; and turned over the tables.” (John 2:15)
In the 6th century the modern calendar was developed thereby identifying history either prior to, or after the birth of Jesus Christ. “A.D.” refers to the Latin phrase, “anno Domini” meaning, “in the year of the Lord.” The significance of this effects more than just record keeping, it designates in a powerful way that when Jesus Christ was born everything changed.
We no longer need to fear if God’s going to do something (even if all the wine is running out). We no longer need to beg God in hope that he’ll answer (even if we are Gentile mother with a demon-possessed daughter). And, we no longer need to worry about impressing God with giving or sacrificing (even if people in the temple are offering it to us).
Jesus is a dividing line. He turns us away from the thinking of this world. He closes the doors on self-dependence and hope in natural things. And demands that we lose our lives, but promises that in doing so we’ll find them.
The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight…forever!
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