Silent Night, Holy Night

 

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 ESV).

 

"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Many singers from every music genre have performed this hymn. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all time. The hymn was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St Nicholas church in Oberndorf, a village in the Austrian Empire on the Salzach river in present-day Austria. A youthful priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had arrived in Oberndorf the year earlier. The melody was arranged by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. Before Christmas Eve, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the Christmas Eve mass. “Silent Night” is a favorite Christmas song for many people around the world. Its gentle melody suggests a “heavenly peace” in which “all is calm.”

 

But our usual picture of Jesus’ birth is far from calm. Above the fields near Bethlehem, an angel army sings out, announcing the glory of God. Back in town, shepherds and wise men and sheep, cows, camels, and gifts are all crowded together in a stable. And somewhere amid all that commotion is the baby Jesus. However, the wise men don’t show up until later. So, let’s take them out of the picture, along with their gifts. And there’s no mention of a stable—just a manger, a feeding trough. So, there might not be animals there either. Now let’s back up to the first hour or two after Jesus’ birth. Commotion will come later, when the shepherds find “Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16). But for now, as lamplight flickers, all we can see is Mary and the baby and Joseph. Exhausted, Mary is fast asleep. Joseph might be able to rest too. Meanwhile, Mary’s snugly wrapped baby, content from his first feeding, sees light, shadow, and movement with his newborn eyes. Let’s stay right where we are, silent as night. The God of all creation is a newborn baby watching shadows sway. Then remember, He did that to redeem us! Indeed, it was a holy night!