Monday, January 22, 2006

It is now, officially, a significant distance from the 2006 Christmas season. But just for a moment, as a few late January snowflakes drift downward, you might still be able to hear the lingering refrains of those Christmas carols.

Listen carefully... very carefully... and you might be able to hear the faintly echoing refrains from 1847.

In that relatively uneventful year, legend has it that Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, a simple wine seller by trade, was approached by his parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. Cappeau accepted the invitation and drafted the words of this poem, Minuit, chretiens, which is a now famous carol. After composing the poem, Cappeau quickly realized that the hymn should be accompanied by music. He approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adam, who agreed to craft a simple tune for this poem... and the rest is history for this carol entitle "O Holy Night."

And it is within this poem, this hymn, where one of the greatest phrases of the season was penned:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and the soul felt its worth

And the soul felt its worth. In looking within yourself, ask yourself, "What would it take for my soul to truly feel its worth?"

To be truly and fully loved? To be fully, completely understood? To feel appreciated and wholly alive?

What a glorious moment it must have been to witness this child's birth and sense the impending and powerful impact of this little life. What a wondrous moment it must have been to be invited to join in this young man's ministry while fishing from the shoreline. What a painfully hopeful moment it must have been to see the tomb's stone rolled into its final resting place, somehow sensing that this adventure was not yet over.

And it's not over for any of us, my friend. It is far far from over.

Following this holiday season, I leave this powerful question to you to discover within yourself, "What would it take for your soul to feel its worth?"

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