Once Upon a Snowy Night (draft)

Picture this. Snow drifts lazily down in the cold air as a little girl is hoisted onto her father's shoulders. She is surrounded by softly glowing lights, scattered in the bare trees. A knit hat falls over her eyes and her laughter mingles with that of her father. A white castle rises in the distance, crowned with a golden angel. A a sweet melody, drifts throughout the square as if sung by heavenly hosts:

The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!

The latter-day glory begins to come forth;

The visions and blessings of old are returning,

And angels are coming to visit the earth.

We’ll sing and we’ll shout with the armies of heaven,

Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!

Let glory to them in the highest be given,

Henceforth and forever, Amen and amen!

Every time that I hear or sing "The Spirit of God" by William W. Phelps, I am brought back to that night in temple square. The lyrics to that song have long been one of my favorites, even when I was too young to fully appreciate their meaning. The sweet feeling that accompanies the music always makes me warm (no matter now cold it may be outside).

The poetry that makes up this song is best appreciated when critiqued in its historical and religious context. The song was written in response to the building and dedication of the LDS temple in Kirtland, Ohio. A video on the Mormon Channel describes the incident as follows:

"As the blessings of heaven were poured out upon their heads, many of the Saints spoke in tongues, while others were given the power to interpret. Many saw angels atop the temple roof or heard heavenly singing, and there were wonderful manifestations of healings, of visions and dreams. The Savior Himself appeared in five different meetings held in the temple, and visions were given to many of the Father and the Son (source)."

When critiqued through the lens of new historicism, the poem changes meaning. The historical background to this piece makes all the difference in determining its meaning. In the first verse, it discusses visions and blessings of the past returning, alluding to the miraculous occurrences that seemed to be all so common in the Old Testament. The author believed that he was witnessing some of the signs of the last days as he described the angels, visions, and wonderful things that were occurring at this point in time. The audience is able to sympathize with the utter joy that the author must have been feeling at the fact that God was still a God of miracles. How wonderful that the burning bush of Moses' day continues to burn today!

Being a hymn, there is also a significant amount of biblical allusions within the text, which are especially prevalent in the fourth verse which reads: 

How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion

Shall lie down together without any ire,

And Ephraim be crowned with his blessing in Zion,

As Jesus descends with his chariot of fire!

The metaphor of the "lamb and the lion" can be analyzed in two distinct ways. 

1.   The "lion" described in this verse can be attributed to the house of Judah (a traditional symbol that can be found in Genesis 49:9), while the "lamb" refers to the Savior Jesus Christ. If the symbols are taken in this way, readers can assume that the Jews will accept Christ and his message once the Second Coming occurs.
2.   The metaphor could be taken in a more literal sense as meaning that there will be no more violence and strife, and that enemies will cease to be and peace will reign as king. A similar metaphor is found in the Bible in the 65th chapter of Isaiah, where it states that the "wolf and the lamb shall feed together... they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain".

The word "Zion" is also closely connected with both the Bible and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The symbol of Zion changes throughout scripture, first being used to describe the City of David in the Old Testament to just refer to the City of God in the New. However, when taken hand in hand with the historic context, its meaning changes. In Mormonism, Zion is often referred to as more of a mentality, more specifically the "pure in heart" (Doctrine and Covenants 97:21), and the followers of Christ. However, it can also be interchanged with the "New Jerusalem", where the new Holy City will be located.

This song not only inspired the early Latter-day Saints, but continues to do so every day. It has touched my heart many times, from the snowy scene at temple square as a child to the times I have sung it while sitting in a church pew. It is a beautiful literary expression of faith and emotion that all people, religious or not, can appreciate.