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6 DECEMBER HOPES AND FEARS O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! 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. Isaiah 43:1-3 Old sheet music and a box filled with instruments always preceded presents at my grandparents' house. Hand drums, triangles, recorders, and shakers assisted our voices as we sang familiar carols. The singing ranged in quality, but ever yone joined in. The instruments were well used, yet each person had one to play. It was loud, unprofessional, and playful. And this still happens each year. Our rendition of O Little Town of Bethlehem was big and brash. Today, the lyrics have settled in and hold significance. The setting for this song is a small, rural town in ancient Israel with a rich histor y. Bethlehem is a place where God works in unexpected ways through lowly, marginalized, and weak people. Years before Jesus, Naomi's husband and two sons died. Rather than leaving her mother-in-law to return to her people in Moab, Ruth joined Naomi and went to Bethlehem, gleaned in the fields, and married Boaz. Later in Israel's histor y, David was born in Bethlehem and had the lowly job of a shepherd. Youngest of all his brothers, God chose him to be King of Israel. Prophecies foretold of another King from David's lineage that would come from this obscure town. Verse one ends addressing the "hopes and fears of all the years." In the often-frantic holiday season, we can ignore our hopes and fears amidst the hustle and bustle of life. Take a minute to ask yourself: What is one hope I have? What is one fear I have? The stor y of God's people is saturated with great expectancy and uncer tainty. Hopes and fears feel at odds. Within our families, nation, and world, many different hopes and fears rise to the surface. I cherish those moments of singing Christmas carols with loud instruments. It playfully overwhelms the complexity of life's confusing realities, while the lyrics point to the reality that Jesus is weaving together our hopes and fears within His redemptive work. "The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight." May Christ's incarnation and second coming cultivate honesty about hopes and fears, trusting that He knows and cares for them all. Kyle De Boer, Student, Master of Arts (Counseling) O Little Town of Bethlehem Lyrics by Phillips Brooks (1868), composed by Lewis Redner (1868)