And in the same region
there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:8

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear was written in 1849 by Edmund Hamilton Sears, a minister living in Massachusetts. The carol started life as a poem, with the music composed by Richard Storrs Willis a decade later.

Most of us are familiar with the poetic description of angels bending near the earth to touch with harps of gold. But fewer know the later verses, where Pastor Sears turns to address those who are weighed down by the sorrows and burdens of life, calling them to hear clearly the message the angels of God proclaimed when Jesus was born.

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! For glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

The angels of God who told the shepherds about the birth of the Messiah brought “good news of a great joy.” This hymn reminds us that whatever burden we are bearing, Christmas brings the message of joy to the world.

According to Scripture, your circumstances, whatever they are, are actually “light and momentary troubles” that are producing in you an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17).

That’s the good news of Christmas.

And when we find that life is hard, we need to “rest beside the weary road” and hear (again) the song of the angels.

Prayer: Lord, In the midst of my weariness, help me today to find my strength and hope in You as I look forward to the day when You will make all things new.