“O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Carol Sheli Cantrell
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.”
—Phillips Brooks
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2
Not far from here in 1868 - at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia - Phillips Brooks penned the words of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” for the Sunday School of his parish. The carol text moves from describing Christ’s birth (which in itself is certainly a “blessing of his heaven”) to the implications of “the meaning of Christmas: first in its encouragement of charity and faith, and then into the coming of Christ into the human heart”, as hymnologist Richard Watson has stated.
Prayer: Lord, especially at this Advent season, may we receive with understanding and commitment the gifts of the Christ Child with the challenge to use these blessings to further our on-going Christian journey.
Prayer: Lord, especially at this Advent season, may we receive with understanding and commitment the gifts of the Christ Child with the challenge to use these blessings to further our on-going Christian journey. Amen.
—Lee Dettra