Thomas J Parlette
“In Our Dark Streets Shineth”
Christmas Eve 2025
Every year on the 24th of December,
We gather here to rejoice and remember.
We remember the stories passed down from of old.
We rejoice in memories of our Savior foretold
His birth announced by legions of angels,
Appearing in the night sky, like stars shining bright.
Their good news was delivered to grumpy, scruffy shepherds,
Keeping watch over the flock in the cold winter night.
We gather here in this holy place, surrounded by stained glass,
With their colors so bright,
Dressed in festive sweaters in the glow of soft candlelight.
The energy of youth jumps from the pews
As excited boys and girls anticipate Santa, whose arrival is due.
In the lobby, explosions of bright red and green pop from poinsettias.
Christmas trees, dripping with lovely decorations,
Some handed down from past generations.
We revel in the glorious music and the comforting words
We recall almost by heart.
But we know that the world is not always a treat
It is not always so bright and cheerful and sweet.
The world is often a very dark place,
Filled with heartaches, and losses and behaviors quite base.
Even as we gather with joy in our hearts,
The loss of loved ones can still cut deep.
The shadows lengthen and the darkness descends.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of this darkness when he wrote:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,
For they lived in shadows, but now the light shines on them bright.
Isaiah spoke of the baby born in Bethlehem
As the source of this bright hope,
A baby named Jesus,
Born to rule as King of the world, in its full scope.
The priest Zechariah, father of John,
Offered a song of hope embodied in this one:
“By the tender mercy of our God,
The dawn from on high
Will break upon us,
To give light to our darkness, in the shadow of death,
And guide our feet into the way of peace.”
In December, 1865, young Phillips Brooks decided he needed a break.
As pastor of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia,
A sabbatical he did take.
The Civil War had just ended a few months prior,
So he took a trip to Europe, then on to the Holy Land, as was his desire.
On Christmas Eve, Brooks found himself in Jerusalem, that holy city.
He acquired a horse and set out towards Bethlehem,
Exploring the land, dirty and gritty.
He rode six miles south to find the spot the shepherds had been.
The stars were twinkling over the quiet little town.
The peacefulness melted Brooks face to a grin.
The perfect stillness, like a dreamless sleep,
Stayed with him and sat in his heart down deep.
When young Phillips returned to his church,
He jotted down some verse about the night of Christ’s birth:
“O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.”
As he sat in his office overlooking Rittenhouse Square,
Brooks thought about the state of the nation, still young and fair.
The last four years of war had left people frightened and scared.
They had been through dark times,
And needed some hope just to know that God cares.
He was moved to add some text to his verse:
“Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.”
Over the next three years, Brooks added to his poem.
And just before Christmas, 1868, he summoned his friend.
The organist at Church, Lewis Redner, to put music to his verse.
But as hard as he tried, Redner came up dry.
He said, “My brain was all confused, but I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain…
And seizing a piece of music paper, I jotted down the treble of the tune.” (1)
“O Little Town of Bethlehem” made its debut on the 27th of December,
Performed by the Children’s Choir of Holy Trinity, (2)
As beautiful as any could remember.
Over the years it has become a standard on Christmas Eve,
With its assurance that hope conquers darkness,
And God will never leave.
In December 1941, the times were again as dark as they could be.
The world was at war, Pearl Harbor had been bombed,
America had to act, this they could see.
So Prime Minister Churchill made the dangerous journey to visit President Roosevelt in Washington D.C.
He arrived on December 22nd, and on Christmas Eve, the world leaders
Addressed a crowd of 20,000. As noted in the Washington Post:
“A crescent moon hung overhead. To the southward loomed the Washington Monument… as the sun dipped… behind the Virginia hills.” (3)
Churchill began his remarks: “Even though I am far from my own country and my family, I cannot truthfully say that I feel far from home. Here in the midst of war, raging over all the lands and seas, creeping nearer to our hearts and homes, here, amid all the tumult, we have tonight the peace of spirit in each cottage home and in every generous heart… here, then, for one night only, each home… should be a brightly-lighted island of happiness and peace.” (4)
His comments were well received, and the very next day,
He and the President attended church together.
Included in the service was “O Little Town of Bethlehem,”
Which Churchill heard for the very first time. (5)
As we gather tonight to celebrate Christ’s birth,
We revel in the joyful warmth of this season so full of mirth.
But we also acknowledge the darkness that often exists,
The loved ones who are missing, the needs that persist.
So we listen to God’s story and we sing our angel-songs
To remind ourselves for that which our hearts truly long:
In the face of the darkest of times
There is a light that still shines.
We live in the assurance that in our dark streets shineth
The everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years
Are met here, in this place, tonight.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray,
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell,
O Come to us; abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!
My God be Praised. Amen.
1. David McCullough, In the Dark Streets Shineth,” Shadow Mountain, 2010, p 19.
2. Leben: A Journal of Reformation Life, December 15th, 2016.
3. McCullough… p 5.
4. Ibid… p 11.
5. Ibid… p 15.
