As I was driving last week listening to the radio I listened to the last half of Celine Dion's version of "O Holy Night." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsWUWzai8P8).
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. While her version is not my favorite, I think Josh Groban still wins that, I absolutely love how the song builds, swelling, and stirring to life a deep longing from within. I've truly spent countless hours listening to various versions of the song, Dion's, Groban's, former students, the West Wing, whether driving, sitting at a desk like I am now, or walking across campus in the evening with headphones the song never seems to disappoint.
So as I was driving I was surprised to find myself listening to the song as if for the first time. Specifically, at the two-minute and forty-five-second mark. At this point, the song proclaims, "And in his name, all oppression shall cease." Even without needlessly capitalizing the H in him I think anyone reading this knows that the him the song is referring to is Jesus Christ. The man whose birth we celebrate on December 25 each year. In his name, all oppression shall cease...
Yet for the last week as I find myself listening to the various versions of a song I love or randomly throughout my day I cannot help but feel the nagging lingering thought of when did we lose sight of that idea. When did we stop believing that in Christ's name all oppression shall cease?
For two thousand years organized (Christian) religion has oppressed people. Yes, of course, there have been innumerable acts of love, kindness, and good as well. Yet the at times haunting truth of the matter is that in who's very name all oppression should cease it is in that very name that religions themselves and religious people have oppressed and continue to oppress.
From claiming Christian love to the ludicrous notion of hate the sin love the sinner his name in which all oppression will cease has been a name of oppression.
This Advent season I plan to continue to let this question bother me. I plan to continue to feel uncomfortable and wrestle with the reality that at some point, perhaps from the very beginning, we lost our understanding and even a belief that in his name all oppression shall cease.
