Silent Night, Holy Night. All is calm, all is bright.
I repeat these lyrics in my mind, unable to move to the next line. Pulled into them, I long to experience their reality in my day, in each moment. The longing for a silent night- still from activity, noise, and thought. Holy Night: aware of the sacredness of moments in time- each one pregnant with opportunity and meaning. All is calm, all is bright- a craving for Heaven on earth, wholeness and peace in place of the sinful effects in our world.
Silent Night was penned in 1816 by a young priest in Austria named Joseph Mohr. Born into poverty and to an unwed mother, he was eventually adopted as a foster child by the local catholic cathedral. The Napoleonic Wars had recently ended bringing with it the aftereffects of a war laden country. While walking in the wintery snow one evening, Joseph looked out over the town and experienced, perhaps, his first silent and holy night. He saw that even in the face of difficulty, destruction, and unwanted circumstances, there was a sacredness in the moment. He recalled the Holiness of the Christ-Child coming down into that very destruction for him. He reflected on the Peace of the night and wrote his 6-verse poem. He titled it Silent Night.
Two years later, on Christmas Eve, while serving at the local cathedral, his good friend and church organist, Franz Gruber, was far from experiencing a silent and holy night. The organ had broken and the Christmas Eve service was about to begin. Mohr offered his 6-verse poem to Gruber who then set it to music. It was played on the guitar and sung by both men. That night, Silent Night was offered to a cathedral full of those longing for the same: a silent night- still from activity, noise, and thought. A holy night, being aware of the sacredness of the moment. All was calm, all was bright- amidst the destruction and chaos from the recent war, there was now peace.
The song spread quickly across Europe and eventually made its way westward. Although most of us have not experienced war-laden lands, we have experienced war-laden hearts. In the midst of difficulty, destruction, and unwanted circumstances, may we take time this week to pause and sit with the lyrics of Silent Night. As we ponder Christmas, may we remember the depth of what the Christ-Child entered into when He chose to come and may it bring us to a place where we can confidently say, “all is calm, all is bright.”
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Christi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7jYvmY6Gfk
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.
Silent night, holy night,
Darkness flies, all is light;
Shepherds hear the angels sing,
“Alleluia! hail the King!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.”
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.