'Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.'
I've remarked in previous posts how much I love Christmas; though it is nowhere near Christmastime, I was reminded today of some words from one of my favourite Christmas hymns, 'O Holy Night' by Adolph Adam (English version by John Sullivan Wright). I've always been touched by the second half of the first verse (printed above), in which the writer notes how the world 'lay(s) in sin and error pining', waiting for the breaking of hope in Christ.