Six hours as a passenger on a stagecoach must have been exhausting for the Frenchman. Placide Cappeau was traveling from Mâcon to Dijon, and the result of what he did along the way has likely touched your life.
Let’s back up. The story goes that Placide was a regular attendee at a church in Roquemaure, France, and he was known to be a gifted poet.
The church had planned a service to celebrate the renovation of the church’s organ, and the parish priest called on Placide to write a poem to help celebrate that accomplishment.
He agreed, and according to at least one source, he penned the poem while on board a stagecoach on a route that would cover about 70 miles.
The trip took place on December 3, 1847, and the poem he penned that day was titled “Minuit, chrétiens,” which I’m told means “Midnight, Christians!” As planned, the poem was then passed on to the famous opera composer Adolphe Adam who set it to music.
So goes the story of the origin of the Christmas carol you and I know as “O Holy Night”:
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared 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! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
I’m thankful that so many of these songs have been preserved through the years, and it’s fun to learn the story behind them.
The carols of Christmas warm hearts everywhere from small country churches to massive cathedrals. These classics come to life at busy shopping malls and family gatherings and serve as “good tidings” to the sometimes-forgotten residents at retirement homes. They occasionally pop up on the radio finding their spot alongside modern songs.
The carols remind us that there is hope for this dark world. They proclaim the inspiring truth that a baby was born, not an ordinary baby, but the One who came as the Savior of the world:
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
Mild He lays his glory by,
Born that we no more may die,
Born to raise us from the earth,
Born to give us second birth.
(“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” by Charles Wesley)
All around the world, God is proclaiming the glorious redemption story this Christmas season through a multitude of ways – including those beloved carols.
Here’s an idea for you.
Why not consider making the carols a part of your devotional time this Christmas season, or maybe integrate them into your family worship time. Study the lyrics, exploring the riches of the gospel proclaimed there. Allow them to lead you to related Bible passages.
Christmas is about the gift of Jesus Christ, and the carols can help to remind us of that.
