I absolutely love old hymns. Of course I have to say that for most of my growing-up-in-church-years, I didn’t appreciate them all that much. I remember quite clearly, however, the Sunday morning when we sang “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, and for the first time I actually processed its lyrics. As I sang along, the hymn’s truth preached volumes to my soul, and my heart swelled with fresh faith.

Ever since the service that day, my attention is always focused on the lyrics of what we sing during worship, because the Spirit of God uses them to turn my eyes toward the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

A few days ago I was busy with Christmas preparations at home, listening to worshipful Christmas music. It wasn’t long before some lyrics to a favorite carol of mine got my attention. As I listened I thought…”Hmmm, is that redundant? And if not, is it even theologically correct?”

John Sullivan Dwight is credited with translating, with many alterations, the French song, “Minuit, chrétiens” into the English carol, “O Holy Night”. Don’t you just love that Christmas hymn? Especially when it comes to the part that says, “Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices…!” Powerfully and properly  dramatic! A few lines before, the lyrics are, “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” Oh my goodness, that sentence conveys the treasure of our Father’s amazing grace! 

By now you’re probably wondering what had captured my attention. It was the phrase, “sin and error”. Jesus came to redeem us from our sin, which is sometimes defined as ‘missing the mark.’ In that sense, I guess the word ‘error’ could describe sin, but the lyrics say “sin and error.” I was sure Mr. Dwight hadn’t simply been redundant, so I began to ponder what was on his heart when he wrote those words. Knowing how our English language is ever-evolving, I began to wonder what “error” meant to a writer back in 1855, when the carol was written. I decided to see how Noah Webster defined the word in his 1828 dictionary. I wasn’t disappointed. It says:

ER’ROR, noun [Latin error from erro, to wander.] A wandering or deviation from the truth; a mistake in judgment, by which men assent to or believe what is not true. error may be voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary, when men neglect or pervert the proper means to inform the mind; involuntary, when the means of judging correctly are not in their power…

So error is a word that is rich with meaning. And the Latin word it comes from  means to wander! That’s just like the lost sheep that Jesus said the Shepherd would leave the 99 for to go and rescue. Yes! Mr. Dwight was describing the people whose hearts have wandered from the truth, and who believe lies because they have neglected to meditate on God’s word, learn His heart and choose His ways. I think he was also describing the many who know God’s ways yet rebelliously choose different paths for themselves. 

The carol tells that for oh-so-many years, we were helplessly lost in our sin and error, and we were indeed pining—languishing, wasting away—whether we knew it or not! But then one starry night a baby was born. Mary gave birth to God’s very Son! Why? 

So that He could show us His Father. 

So that He could take the sin of the entire world upon Himself and die so that we could live. 

So that we wouldn’t have to be separated from God any longer!

 And because we had worth, so much worth, in the eyes of our Beholder and Creator!

Since Jesus came, truly our souls have felt their worth, though we’ve yet to wrap our heads around why God values us. Jesus expressed it perfectly:

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 AMP

Oh heavenly Father, my heart is full of wonder at Your love for us. Thank You for sending our dear Savior to be born. Lord, You humbly appeared in the form of a baby, in order to fulfill Your loving plan to rescue us from our sin and error! May the wonder of that truth always bring me to fall on my knees in adoration. And whether I’m here on earth, or home one day with You in heaven, may my heart’s song always carry true worship like the angels who long ago sang, “Glory to God in the Highest! “