Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth
Broadcast – Oh Holy Night – Part 2
Go to PART 1
One of my favourite Christmas Carols, Oh Holy Night, had both an incredible and rough start. But despite being banned by the Church in France because of the (apparently) dubious background of its authors, “Oh Holy Night” continued to impact people and was sung throughout Europe and America. It was a beacon of hope, an anthem for change and redemption, a melody of love and light. It was sung upon bloodstained war-torn fields and around the family hearth at night. It wasn’t just a song, it embodied something otherworldly. Something Holy.
In 1906, a new technology that enabled radio broadcast, was ready to be tested. And it would be tested live. On December 24th, in a Massachusetts station, Thirty-Three-year-old Reginald Fessenden, his wife Helen, his secretary Miss Bent and his associate Mr. Stein gathered to broadcast out to ships at sea over the radio for the very first time. A university professor and Chemist, Reginald began the broadcast by playing Handel’s “Largo” on an Ediphone phonograph and followed it up with a reading of Luke 2 – the birth of Christ. He then picked up his violin, placed it on his shoulder, underneath his chin, hands on strings, and played “Oh Holy Night” into the microphone. It’s said that he sang the third stanza with all his might. The group completed the broadcast by wishing their listeners a Merry Christmas and telling them that they would hear the broadcast again on New Year’s Eve. The Christmas program was picked up as far south as Norfolk, Virginia. And when the program was repeated on New Year’s Eve, it was heard as far away as the West Indies.
“Oh Holy Night” was one of the first songs to be broadcast over the radio, as well as being part of the first radio broadcast. New technology drenched in Christ’s story, carrying his essence and hope to a world hungry and starved for it.
From its literal translation to its many versions, O Holy Night is a still one of the most recorded and broadcast carols in history.
What an incredible journey this song has had… Written by a faithless man who was shown a glimpse of glory, set to music by a Jewish composer, banned by the Church in France, sung by American abolitionists, harmonised by sworn enemies on a battlefield, causing a ceasefire in the trenches over Christmas, and part of the first radio broadcast ever… What a picture of God’s grace it carries. His inclusiveness, transcendence, and openness shine brightly through its history…
Personally, my favourite part of this song's story is how it was written then rejected because of who wrote it, and then redeemed because its message could not be silenced by exclusion, ignorance or hatred. A faithless man, who reportedly called himself an atheist, somehow communicated the spirit and wonder of the moment that Christ was made manifest in the earth.
How often do we miss out on other songs and stories that would reveal glimpses of hope and divinity because we can’t get past who wrote it?
God redeems. He wastes nothing. Fr Richard Rohr calls him an “opportunist.” He will reveal himself to whoever is listening.
So listen.
Listen to the words of this wonderful song and let God reveal more of himself to you. You never what you might hear.
“Oh Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
Oh night divine, the night when Christ was born;
Oh Night, Oh Holy Night, Oh Night divine!”
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