Christmas Carols unwrapped: O Holy night!

For many people the carol ‘O Holy night’ is one of their favourite carols and when listened to live, it is bound to bring goosebumps! This french song began as a poem written by De Roquemaure, but he soon realised it was better suited to a song and sent it to a friend Adolphe Charles Adams to compose the music. Although Adams was Jewish, and therefore didn’t celebrate Christmas, he composed the tune and it was sung at midnight mass on Christmas eve. It wasn’t long, however, until this song caused controversy with a tune written by a Jew and Roquemaure leaving the church to become a socialist and it was banned in the church. However, people continued to sing it and its popularity grew. 

It is an endearing history, however I came across a couple of stories connected to this song that really challenged me, hundreds of years after it was written. There is a legend that in the Franco-Prussian war, on Christmas eve 1871, a French soldier sprung up from the trenches amidst fierce fighting and began to sing the song ‘O Holy night’ or ‘Cantique de Noel’ The shock, caused a ceasefire and both sides put down their weapons as they listened to him singing such powerful words: 

After the French soldier finished singing, A German soldier stood and replied by singing a carol written by Martin Luther called ‘From Heaven above to earth I come’ It is believed that this exchange led to a 24 hour ceasefire as they celebrated the Prince of peace being born. 

Years later in 1906 a Canadian inventor who had been the chief chemist to Thomas Eddisson, called Reginald Fessenden, made history with the carol. At that time, the only radios were wireless transmitters that spoke code. However, Fessenden had produced a new generator that allowed words to be spoken over the waves. On Christmas eve, he started the generator and spoke the first words over the radio, they were the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2. He then picked up his violin and began to play ‘O Holy night.’

In one of the stories the song was sung at a time of conflict, pain and fear and in the other story, the song was played at a time of great celebration and achievement. This brings a challenge for us all, not just at Christmas but every day. When everything around you is going wrong and war rages all around you, what song are you singing? When you reach the highest heights and everything seems to be going right for you, what song are you singing? 

This Christmas some of us are facing great conflict, fear and worry and others are full of Joy, hope and victory. In either situation, and every other inbetween, when we know Jesus, when we love Jesus and when we have experienced Emmanuel, God with us, the first song on our lips should be the proclamation of Christ the Lord and his power and glory: 

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,

And in his name all oppression shall cease,

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we;

Let all within us praise his Holy name!

Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we!

His pow'r and glory, evermore proclaim!