Phillips Brooks was born in Boston in 1825 and would later be educated at Harvard. He was a beloved and respected evangelist. In 1862 Brooks began leading Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two years into his pastorate, he felt compelled to visit the Holy Land of Israel. In 1864, that was quite the journey. The following year, he traveled by ship to Europe. Then, on Christmas Eve, he traveled by horseback to the Holy Land. He rode through the field where the shepherds saw the star and angels then he attended the Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Brooks returned to Philadelphia. Three years later, as the Christmas season was approaching, Brooks was reflecting on his time in Bethlehem and wrote the lyrics to O Little Town of Bethlehem.
Brooks never married but other people’s children became like a family to him. He stood 6 feet 8 inches tall but a familiar sight was the beloved pastor sitting on the floor playing a game with a group of children. After writing the lyrics of O Little Town of Bethlehem, Brooks approached the church organist to compose a tune for his lyrics. The organist was Lewis Redner, he was a real estate broker who was also the organist at Brooks’ church. Redner noted the “simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure.” We can all relate to the hustle and bustle of Christmastime! The song was originally a song for the kids of Brooks’ church, but the adults liked it so much they sang it too.
Before O Little Town of Bethlehem, Brooks was best known for his sermon on the Civil War. The war was ending just as Brooks was writing his famous Christmas carol. After the war, many little towns in America were unnaturally silent because so many of the young men were gone. This history brings a deep meaning to the lyrics:
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight
The light of Jesus broke through the darkness of Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. The light of Jesus still breaks through our modern-day darkness. Jesus is everlasting light. No darkest on earth can extinguish the light and hope of Jesus!
Luke 2:1-5
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.