I never liked the Christmas carol, “It Came upon the Midnight Clear.” I think it was the tune. It seemed too “waltzy” – more of a Tyrolean drinking song. Besides, it is one of the few Christmas carols that doesn’t mention the birth of Jesus. No Bethlehem. No Joseph and Mary. No shepherds. So, I did a deeper dive.
The song was originally a five-stanza poem by Rev. Edmund H. Sears, a Unitarian minister who served churches primarily in Massachusetts. His poem, “It Came upon the Midnight Clear,” was first published in 1849 in a Boston religious journal. The focus of the carol is upon the angels – and their song in the birth narrative of Luke’s Gospel: “Peace on the earth good will to men,” which is the language of 1849 and the King James Version of the Bible.
Rev. Sears suffered from what his contemporaries diagnosed as “melancholy.” When he penned this poem in 1848, he was overwhelmed by the duties of a large parish, and he was dejected by the wars and revolts of his time. The United States had just emerged from the Mexican-American War, and the stirrings of a Civil War were starting to be felt. In Europe, riots and revolts afflicted most every country during 1848 and 1849. It was a troubling time, and Rev. Sears responded from deep in his soul with a poem reminding people of the Christmas angels and their message of peace.
Each stanza relates to that song of peace, and what hinders it. I didn’t fully appreciate this message until I learned about singing the carol to the tune, NOEL. This melody did not distract me, and made the message more accessible. I paid attention to the words.
Verse one relates the original angelic visitation to the shepherds.
Verse two reminds us how weariness and sadness can distract the world from hearing the song of peace that angels are still singing.
Sears’s third stanza is not included in the New Century or Pilgrim hymnals.
But with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not The love-song which they bring; –
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing!
What an indictment of a world that has filled millennia with war after war, drowning out songs of peace. There are too many current examples of “man at war with man (sic):” Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Haiti, Congo, and even the discord and division in our own country. The despondency that confronted Rev. Sears is ever-present.
Verse four of the poem shares how life’s crushing load bends people in in their toil. They are invited to rest from their weariness and hear the angels sing. Some suggest this is an early poem of the Social Gospel movement, an effort whereby people of faith sought to help usher in God’s kin-dom by working for justice and peace.
And, finally, verse five suggests a time when the Prince of Peace will come again, and all will join the angels in singing of everlasting peace.
In our present time, when war and violence disrupt the ways of peace, perhaps this simple carol can encourage us to listen more fervently – and work more passionately - for songs peace on earth. May it be so.
With you on the journey,
Campbell Lovett
Sabbatical Bridge Conference Minister