"Silent Night" (Part 1)

"Silent Night" has become an anchor for Christmas celebrations throughout the world. Its lullaby-like melody and simple message of heavenly peace can be heard from small town street corners in mid-America to magnificent cathedrals in Europe and from outdoor candlelight concerts in Australia to palm thatched huts in northern Peru. Yet, we know very little about its true origin. We do know that during his service in the Alpine village of Arnsdorf, Joseph Mohr wrote a poem, "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!" Due to poor health, he was sent to Salzburg for hospitalization and when he recovered, was assigned to St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf. It was there that the assistant pastor met and became friends with the Arnsdorf schoolmaster and church musician, Franz Gruber. On December 24, 1818, Mohr handed over the poem to Gruber with the request to compose a suitable melody for two solo voices with choir and the accompaniment of one guitar. He did so quickly and this beloved carol was born. It has so many wonderful thoughts written into it, we’ll take a few days to look at the verses separately. Following is verse one as translated in 1863 by John Young:

Silent Night! Holy Night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

In the second stanza of this verse Mohr wrote of the light in the midst of this calm, “all is bright.” It is a wonderful part of the character and nature of Christ. I heard a cute little story about a poor little boy who once heard his Sunday School teacher say Jesus was the light of the world. He took her remark quite literally. After class, the boy said to his teacher, "If Jesus really is the light of the world, I wish He'd come hang out in my alley. It's awful dark where I live."

I’m afraid all of us at one time or another have “dark alley” experiences. It may be that you have done something you think so horrible that there can never be forgiveness and restoration. Or perhaps you have been so hurt that you feel completely forgotten and abandoned in life. Either of these or a dozen others may have brought you to a place where the darkness seems overwhelming. There is good news for you today!

“In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." (John 1:1-5; 8:12, NLV).

Instead of trusting Christ, many people today insist on using human wisdom alone for answers to eternal questions. The tragedy of this situation was graphically illustrated in a humorous skit performed by Karl Vallentin, a Munich comedian. Walking on a stage where everything was dark except for a small area under a street lamp, he began to look for something on the ground. He told the policeman who came on the scene that he was trying to find a key, whereupon the two continued the search. Finally the officer asked, "Are you sure you lost it here?" "Oh, no," said Vallentin as he pointed to a corner, "It was over there, but here is where the light is!" If you want the key to life today, you will find it only in Christ. That’s where the real light shines and the darkness can never overcome it!