A decade later, the American minister John Sullivan Dwight translated the lyrics into English.
As an abolitionist, Dwight was struck by the lyrics of the second verse. “Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother… And in his name, all oppression shall cease.”
Almost 60 years later, on Christmas Eve in 1906, the Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden created the world’s first radio broadcast, mostly heard by radio operators and cargo ships in the Atlantic.
Fessenden read the story of the nativity from the gospel of Luke and played “O Holy Night” on his violin, making it the first Christmas song ever broadcast on the radio.
10 Dec
Isn’t it marvelous that every December, we hear songs all over the place that proclaim Jesus’ birth? In every store, radio and TV commercial, listeners (regardless of their faith) are reminded of the coming Messiah! Maybe the song “O Holy Night” has crossed your airwaves, but did you ever stop to consider the words? One line in particular stands out to me: “a weary world rejoices.”
And boy do we feel weary this Christmas.
2020 has been a difficult year. It’s been a year of loss for all of us, whether that was a job, a loved one, a relationship, or our sense of peace and security. As we head into the Christmas season, it can be difficult to muster up feelings of holiday joy.