It Came upon a Midnight Clear - Powerful Christmas Hymn

The hymn "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" was written by Edmund Hamilton Sears, an American Unitarian minister, in 1849. The hymn was originally titled "Peace on Earth" and was inspired by Sears' reflections on the social and political turmoil of his time, particularly the conflicts and unrest in Europe and the United States.

Sears wrote the hymn as a call for peace and goodwill among nations and to emphasize the message of hope and comfort found in the biblical account of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in Bethlehem. The hymn's lyrics convey a sense of longing for the peace and tranquility that the angels' message heralded. Here are the lyrics to "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear": 1. It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth, To touch their harps of gold: "Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, From heaven's all-gracious King." The world in solemn stillness lay, To hear the angels sing. 2. Still through the cloven skies they come With peaceful wings unfurled, And still their heavenly music floats O'er all the weary world; Above its sad and lowly plains, They bend on hovering wing, And ever o'er its Babel sounds The blessed angels sing. 3. 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: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing. 4. For lo! the days are hastening on, By prophet-bards foretold, When with the ever-circling years Comes round the age of gold When peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendors fling, And the whole world give back the song Which now the angels sing. The hymn has become a beloved Christmas carol and is often sung during the holiday season. It serves as a reminder of the message of peace, hope, and goodwill that Christmas represents and calls on people to strive for a world characterized by these virtues.