A Watch Night Worth Remembering
“Watch Meeting Dec.31st 1862,Waiting for the Hour,” William Tolman Carlton (White House Art Collection) (Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)
An unforgettable experience sometimes seemingly comes out of nowhere. I happened upon such an experience while searching for a Watch Night Service to attend New Year’s Eve. My search yielded a fascinating article that briefly described the origins of the Watch Night tradition here in the United States.
Having attended many Watch Night services over the past three decades, I assumed–probably as many people do–that Watch Night began as a time to recall and celebrate God’s blessings granted in the old year as well as to entreat His continued favor in the new. Little did I know that the Watch Night tradition goes deeper.
A stirring dramatization in poetry and song awakened me to Watch Night’s deeper meaning. My thoughts turned like turbulent, converging waters, churning up powerful emotions, as I pondered Watch Night’s significance in this country.
I was stunned to learn that Watch Night memorialized December 31, 1862, when millions of our enslaved ancestors waited for the life-changing word from President Abraham Lincoln that Emancipation Proclamation would set them free! For millions of our ancestors, December 31st would become Freedom’s Eve, something far more significant than our current celebration of New Year’s Eve.
It is impossible for me to imagine the fear and jubilation of that night. Raw emotions heightened as daylight descended into a tension-filled night. The cold air brought little relief to slaves’ tormented, bleeding bodies broken by the fury of their master’s whip.
With taut nerves and minds consumed by a relentless jumble of unanswered questions, slave and master waited for what seemed like eternity. I imagine the slaves’ minds reeled with thoughts such as “Can this really be true? Is God truly going to set us free?” I imagine the slave owners’ agitation laced with a dangerous poison of hatred and fear, as they plotted retribution. They would do anything to hold onto their privileged life.
Fast-forward to the 21st Century, a century and a half later. The drama of Freedom’s Eve has long faded into the swirling mists of history. Watch Night celebrations have taken on a more benevolent meaning, and for that I am grateful.
However, I do pray that as we reflect on the old year and transition into the new, we will take time to remember the Watch Night of December 31, 1862, 150 years ago, when countless millions of our ancestors watched and waited in blood-soaked fields. When they huddled and trembled in ramshackle barns; when they stole away to secret places daring to meet, to pray and to hope against hope for the sweet tolling of bells proclaiming at that last, they were free!
childrenskingdom 