And in his name all oppression shall cease...

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

O Holy Night

I love the 3rd verse of O Holy Night. I have posted on it before. It always moves me.

I have, however, been drawn to the phrase

/..and in his name all oppression shall cease../

Is it because of the oppression done in the name of Jesus... and the oppression that continues to be done in the name of Jesus?

I am pretty liberal in my outlook... and I don't apologise for that. I think there is an irony in Christian people singing the first two verses of this song and then condemning their neighbour... for their perceived failings in their neighbour's lifestyle choices.

I think we need to be very careful here... and critically take stock of our lives. Do we live lives of love that reflect the Light of the World.. or do we live disjointedly... believing one thing and living a whole other way..?

Think about it. Love and living a life of love is not optional... it is commanded of us! We can not and should not choose to only love the people we agree with or whose lifestyles are in sync with ours. If we do then we continue to oppress the very people we are called to love.

We love because God first loved us... or have we forgotten this?