What joy and peace come to our hearts when we hear the words of Phillips Brooks sung as a Christmas carol, the first verse of which is:
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.
This brings to us a mental picture of Bethlehem, quiet under the stars, awaiting the gentle coming of the Messiah, long foretold by the prophets. A bright star overhead guides the shepherds and Wisemen to where the infant Jesus presages a clear manifestation of the Christ to human consciousness.
