No, I haven’t forgotten how to read the calendar. However, there is so much busyness at Christmas time, that we often don’t get to take the time to really engage with the Christmas hymns. This hymn actually speaks to the “after Christmas” time anyway. Thus, it is most appropriate for this month, as the gospel lessons focus on what it means to follow Jesus. This hymn has beautiful poetry and a powerful message. It is so rich, I hope that we can now take the time to truly hear it. As one of our Advent hymns, Blest Be the King Whose Coming (1982 No. 74), says: By those who truly listen his voice is truly heard.
Most Christmas hymns are of three types. Some simply tell the story, such as Silent Night and Away in a Manger. Others invite us to worship the newborn king, such as O Come All Ye Faithful (O come let us adore him). Others give voice to our joy at the coming of Christ, such as Joy to the World. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear does not fit any of these categories. Instead, it takes the birth of Jesus as a starting point, and asks us to think about what that means, and how that should change us, and change the world.
The hymn writer, Edmund H. Sears (1810-1876), was a Unitarian minister in Massachusetts. He once wrote that God reaches down to humanity, but that God’s “peace” requires a human response. Though this hymn is grounded in the event of Christ’s birth, its real import is about that human response. The first stanza is the only one that talks about the birth of Christ, and only in very general terms, just enough to let your mind call up the details that you already know. Thereafter, it is all about the here and now, and how that is, or should be, shaped by the coming of Christ. Stanzas 2 and 3 are a lament over the state of the world, that two thousand years after Christ’s birth, woe and strife continue, rather than peace on earth. Stanza 4 calls to mind that “day of peace that dimly shines” (See H1982 No. 597), when peace will indeed be realized.
Notice that each stanza ends with a reference to the angels singing. The first stanza refers to the angels singing to announce Jesus’ birth: Peace on earth, good will to men. Then, the world in solemn stillness lay, suggesting the world was listening. Stanzas 2 and 3 suggest that the world is not listening now. The second stanza reminds us that the angels are still singing, even above the earth’s Babel-sounds, a reference to the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The third stanza tells us to hush and listen to the angels sing! The fourth stanza dreams of the day when we earthlings will listen again, and the whole world will give back the song that now the angels sing.
Sears had a strong social conscience. He was a pacifist. He preached in favor of the equality of men and women, and against slavery. In fact, one of his sermons against slavery was printed and circulated by the abolitionists. The hymn was first published in the Unitarian newspaper, The Christian Register in 1849. This was right at the close of the Mexican-American War, and the issue of slavery was then coming to the forefront of America’s concerns. It is assumed that Sears’ opposition to the war and to slavery were part of the inspiration for the hymn.
His poetic expression of the spiritual life so marked his sermons that they were often compared to prayers. However, because of ill health, he retired from active duties as a minister, and thereafter devoted himself to writing on spiritual matters. Better known as a writer of theological works than as a hymn writer, he authored books and sermons, and was the editor of a religious magazine. His most widely read book is a detailed analysis of the Gospel of John, The Fourth Gospel, The Heart of Christ (1872). Though he wrote 500 hymns, this is the only one that is well known.
Sears believed that Christ was the incarnation of the Word, fully human and fully divine, but he avoided technical terms. He said, “I do not believe that any analysis in the power of man can ever reduce to scientific proposition the mystic union between Christ and Father.”
This hymn is sung to two different tunes, and our hymnal has both. CAROL (H1982 No 89) was written at Sears’ request by a New York organist/composer, Richard Storrs Willis (1819-1900), who, while studying in Germany, became a personal friend of Mendelssohn. This tune is the standard tune in the United States. In Britain, however, the standard tune is NOEL (H1982 90), a traditional English melody adapted by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame).
Ultimately, this hymn is about listening to God. That means being quiet and calming down so we can hear the voice of God, who, it has been said, refuses to shout. Now that the busyness of Christmas is over, and before Carnival gets into full swing, maybe we can get in a little listening. We won’t be singing the hymn this month, but we can meditate on it. The Prologue to the Rule of Saint Benedict begins: Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This hymn invites, urges, challenges us: O hush the noise and cease your strife and hear the angels sing! Good advice.
— Carolyn Parmenter, Music Director
