December 14th, 2023
Thursday, December 14th
Silent?
By: Chrissy Cooney
Recently I found myself humming the Christmas carol “Silent Night” and I was suddenly struck by how NOT Silent that night must have been. A baby being born is not usually a silent event. An inn packed to capacity doesn’t invoke thoughts of a quiet evening. A Heavenly Host singing Hallelujah and a gathering of shepherds and sheep certainly made a good bit of noise.
I found myself wanting to know more about the song. In my research, I learned that the lyrics were written by a priest, Joseph Mohr, in Oberndorf, Austria in 1818. At Mohr’s request a local teacher named Franz Gruber set the poem to music. The song was written shortly after the Napoleonic Wars had ended; wars that represented 23 years of conflict. And the region of Salzburg, Austria (which included Oberndorf) had faced a season of economic hardship, with families struggling for the basic needs of shelter and food.
Conflict, hardship, uncertainty, lack. This is where Mohr was coming from when he wrote the words that were later translated into English as, “Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright”. This silence is not so much about the lack of noise but instead, the Peace and the Hope that Jesus brings.
Amid all the uncertainties and troubles of this life – and this life certainly does have its share of both – the Peace of Jesus brings a stillness, a calmness, and a hope that no other can bring. It’s not about the absence of trouble. It’s about a crazy, noisy, hectic night in the town of Bethlehem, when a child was born.
A Holy Infant born in a humble manner, wrapped in some cloths and placed in a feeding trough.
A child that would grow to be a man and live a perfect life all the way to the cross and the Resurrection.
A perfect Savior, the King of Kings, who wants you to lean on Him, trust Him, and find Peace in Him – even in the messiest and most difficult of circumstances.
As Isaiah prophesied about 700 years before the birth of Jesus, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Silent?
By: Chrissy Cooney
Recently I found myself humming the Christmas carol “Silent Night” and I was suddenly struck by how NOT Silent that night must have been. A baby being born is not usually a silent event. An inn packed to capacity doesn’t invoke thoughts of a quiet evening. A Heavenly Host singing Hallelujah and a gathering of shepherds and sheep certainly made a good bit of noise.
I found myself wanting to know more about the song. In my research, I learned that the lyrics were written by a priest, Joseph Mohr, in Oberndorf, Austria in 1818. At Mohr’s request a local teacher named Franz Gruber set the poem to music. The song was written shortly after the Napoleonic Wars had ended; wars that represented 23 years of conflict. And the region of Salzburg, Austria (which included Oberndorf) had faced a season of economic hardship, with families struggling for the basic needs of shelter and food.
Conflict, hardship, uncertainty, lack. This is where Mohr was coming from when he wrote the words that were later translated into English as, “Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright”. This silence is not so much about the lack of noise but instead, the Peace and the Hope that Jesus brings.
Amid all the uncertainties and troubles of this life – and this life certainly does have its share of both – the Peace of Jesus brings a stillness, a calmness, and a hope that no other can bring. It’s not about the absence of trouble. It’s about a crazy, noisy, hectic night in the town of Bethlehem, when a child was born.
A Holy Infant born in a humble manner, wrapped in some cloths and placed in a feeding trough.
A child that would grow to be a man and live a perfect life all the way to the cross and the Resurrection.
A perfect Savior, the King of Kings, who wants you to lean on Him, trust Him, and find Peace in Him – even in the messiest and most difficult of circumstances.
As Isaiah prophesied about 700 years before the birth of Jesus, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
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