O Little Town Of Bethlehem
O Little Town of Bethlehem
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.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heav’n.
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.
PHILLIPS BROOKS was a giant of a man and a prince of a preacher. When his six-foot-six frame filled the pulpit, the people of his churches learned and responded. He served Episcopal congregations in Philadelphia and Massachusetts.
In 1865 Brooks went to the Holy Land and was especially impressed by a Christmas Eve service at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. Three years later he wanted to write a Christmas song for the children’s service at his church in Philadelphia. For inspiration, he thought back to his experience in Bethlehem.
It is said that after Brooks died, one five-year-old girl of the church was upset because she hadn’t seen him recently. Her mother told her gently that Bishop Brooks had gone to heaven. The girl’s face brightened as she said, “Oh, Mama, how happy the angels will be!”
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
Micah 5:2
From the book
