Regarded by many as the greatest preacher America has produced, Phillips Brooks was born in Boston and educated at Harvard. He then prepared for ministry at Episcopal Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia.
Brooks was rector of Holy Trinity in Philadelphia from 1859 through 1869. His parishioners in August of 1865, sent him abroad for a year. His travels took him through Europe and in December to the Holy Land. The itinerary included a horseback ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Back then it truly was a small village, far removed from the bustling city it would later become. By nightfall he was in the field where, according to tradition, the shepherds heard the angelic announcement. Then he attended the Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
A bachelor, Brooks had a special fondness for children. Two years after his return to America, still full of the thrilling memories of Bethlehem, he wrote for his Sunday school the Christmas hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” to be performed at a Sunday School Pageant.
Then he asked the church organist, Lewis Redner, to compose a simple melody for the children to sing on Christmas Eve. Mr. Redner sat down at the piano to find just the right tune to carry the descriptive words. But nothing he wrote seemed to fit. On the night before the Christmas Eve service, he felt defeated, so he went to bed. During his fretful sleep it seemed that he heard music. Immediately, he got up and wrote down the melody just as we sing it today. When he joyfully presented it to Rev. Brooks he said: "I think it was a gift from heaven." The children sounded like a choir of angels as they sang the new carol written just for them. “O Little of Bethlehem” quickly became a favorite after it was published in 1874.
Brooks, writing to the children of his congregation, recalled his visit to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve:
“I remember especially on Christmas Eve, when I was standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with the splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the “wonderful night” of the Savior’s birth.”
Brooks accepted a pastorate at Trinity Church in Boston in 1869 and served there until 1891. As a preacher, he drew such crowds that his Boston congregation had to build a new church to hold them.
A statue of Brooks in the pulpit, commissioned by his congregation after his death, captures the evangelical passion of his preaching. In it, Brooks is shown raising one arm in a characteristic dramatic gesture while his other hand rests upon the Bible. Behind him stands the figure of Christ, His hand gently resting on the preacher’s shoulder.
Perhaps his most lasting impact on the broad Church is this simple yet spiritually moving hymn of the night of Jesus’ birth.
Within the beauty of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is one of God's promises from the prophet Micah: "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the little towns of Judah, but from you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times." (Micah 5:2, GNB).
(Source: Reasonabletheology.org, Crosswalk.com, and Sermon, Rev. Harold Schnedler)