The year was 1849.  Edmund Sears, a parish minister in Massachusetts, condemned the evil of slavery.  His arguments against it were so strong, they were published and circulated among abolitionists.  In his despair that year, he penned a melancholy reflection on his times.

“Yet 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.”

You may recognize that as the text to the third stanza of “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.”   The music was composed by American composer Richard Storrs Willis. Inspired by the words of the poem, he set it to music in 1859.  It soon became popular as a Christmas carol.  Edmund Sears, who wrote a number of theological works, is primarily known as the man who wrote the words to “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”

Now, 170 years later, we might find that text just as applicable to our world.  His admonition still rings true, “Oh hush the noise … and hear the angels sing.”  Unconditional love awaits us; the angels do still sing. 

 Sometimes, looking beyond the first verse of our favorite carols, we find gems of wisdom.  I hope you enjoy the Gracias Choir’s rendition of this beautiful carol.

Judy