Silent Night - Part 1
"Silent Night" is a well-loved and favorite Christmas hymn. It was written by Joseph Mohr in 1816 and first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The church's organ was broken that night, so the song was sung to guitar. From there, the song spread across Europe, and during a Christmas truce in 1914 during World War 1, soldiers from both sides stopped fighting and sang the famous song together.
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
The first verse points us to the virgin birth, which had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier in Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
The world around us laughs at the idea of a virgin birth, and through earthly eyes, yes, this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). Not only can God give the virgin Mary a baby, but that baby is "Immanuel," which means "God with us." This is the most exciting news of all, that God was willing to come down from heaven to earth in human form and dwell with us.
The first verse paints a beautiful picture of peace, concluding with "Sleep in heavenly peace." We can picture the baby Jesus sleeping peacefully with his mother, perhaps with Joseph nearby looking on in awe at what it all might mean. But I also think it allows us, all of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, that we too can sleep in peace. Outside us, the world may rage in controversy, foolishness, and sin, but no matter what is happening, we sleep in peace knowing that our eternal future is secure in his hands. We can be at peace knowing what Jesus said in John 10:28 - "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."
And that is good news indeed!
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
The first verse points us to the virgin birth, which had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier in Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
The world around us laughs at the idea of a virgin birth, and through earthly eyes, yes, this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). Not only can God give the virgin Mary a baby, but that baby is "Immanuel," which means "God with us." This is the most exciting news of all, that God was willing to come down from heaven to earth in human form and dwell with us.
The first verse paints a beautiful picture of peace, concluding with "Sleep in heavenly peace." We can picture the baby Jesus sleeping peacefully with his mother, perhaps with Joseph nearby looking on in awe at what it all might mean. But I also think it allows us, all of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, that we too can sleep in peace. Outside us, the world may rage in controversy, foolishness, and sin, but no matter what is happening, we sleep in peace knowing that our eternal future is secure in his hands. We can be at peace knowing what Jesus said in John 10:28 - "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."
And that is good news indeed!
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