The Season

Oftentimes we forget hope. We forget that every bad moment has its point and purpose in time. We are mesmerized by facts and uncertainties. The result is a wash of disappointment and empty wishes. To me, it looks a bit like this:



I love this video, sincerely I do. Radiohead produces some of the best music that you could ever plug into your ears. But they only show half the picture. They do an excellent job of displaying that half picture, but it is still only half the picture. What good is it to grasp the pain and suppression of reality if you are going to dismiss the hope? Hope is not defined by the ephemeral things of simple happiness. Hope supercedes happiness, for it is the forerunner of joy. Life is a balancing act between pain and joy, longing and relief. And if we ever give over to either one extreme or the other, our days will be measured by dissatisfaction and grief. For if you place all your wages on the side of joy and relief, you'll never quench your longing as long as you live this side of heaven. Then of course the other hand follows that you cannot depend on everlasting sadness, catering to the expectations of all that is and can be bad. Recognizing hope does not alleviate pain, but it does give strength to endure. By default, we must learn to cope with reality by embracing the notion of love. Love operates as grounds for hope and pain to coexist. Now, unfortunately it cannot go without saying that this love is not the "yucky-mushy" kind of love that we sometimes expect it to be. This love is not even necessarily romantic. It is real love. Love as defined by perfection. Obtained in glimmers and flashes of time, but altogether withstanding throughout all of existence. "It bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things" (I Cor. 13:7). Although films like "Moulin Rouge" push to create a love as beautiful and powerful as this love, the love that they prescribe to is unsubstantial in reality. True love equates with grace. And with some hope this Christmas season, may grace be the lesson we remember. May we remember the relationship of sacrifice and celebration. Why is it that the holidays have become a time of stress and anxiety and depression and loneliness and hurt feelings? Why is it that families and friends go bounding and leaping from one extreme to the other, during this time of year even more than usual? Why is it that we either forget hope and grip pain or clutch happiness and bypass sacrifice? We need balance and truth. We need Christ.


For this reason, I will continue to enjoy and appreciate Radiohead (and a large palette of other music as well) with an ever-discerning ear; but I will do so in line with a love for truth. Below are the lyrics to my increasingly favorite song, "Oh Holy Night." This Christmas carol came from the composer Adolphe Adam in 1847. The French poet, Placide Cappeau, wrote the poem "Minuit, chrétiens" which inspired the song. The music is beautiful. Its smooth, provoking verses and climactic, powerful choruses makes the song definitively enthralling. The minor chords are so touching that when the song carries into each new chorus, you feel utterly attached to the words and depictions of the piece. It’s emotional, yet without loosing its grounding. This Christmas carol captures both hope and grief, both grace and sacrifice. In this carol, we get a glimpse of truth, the whole picture. It is but a glimpse of the whole picture, for that is all we seem to be able to handle for now. But better a glimpse of the whole truth than an obsession with halve truths. Here is “Oh Holy Night”:

Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appear'd and the soul 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 angels' voices!

Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;

Oh night divine, Oh night, Oh night Divine.

"Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand."

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Behold your King.

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! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.