Silent Night, Holy Night

I was asked to intro Silent Night at our Christmas Eve service. My pastor gave me the story of this historic song and told me to make it my own. Little did I know it was the closing song of the evening and the song used for the lighting of the Christmas candles by the entire church. It really is a cool story. My stately, old stone church never looked so beautiful.

Bill, I am posting this for you...

For many of us, music is very spiritual in nature. Music speaks to our souls in loud words or soft whispers. Music tells the story of our lives, our loves, our sadness and our joys. Songwriters and music makers have a very special gift and sometimes inspiration comes in many interesting forms. One of the most beloved Christmas Carols of all time has such a story. It truly gives a new meaning to divine providence.

The story begins on Christmas Eve, 1818 in Oberndorf Austria. A priest discovers that the church organ is broken. As any good leader would do, he came up with Plan B. He hurriedly wrote an appropriate poem and asked his friend to compose a tune for it. The two friends sang it together that Christmas Eve service with just a guitar as accompaniment. It was simple. It was gorgeous. Kind of reminds me of something Gail and Kaylene would do.

But the story doesn’t end here. From a tiny village that night, an unknown Christmas Carol began its worldwide journey. When an organ repairman came to the church a few days later, he discovered the song jotted down on a piece of paper. Asking if he could share it with others, it eventually got into the hands of a well-known singing family who included it in their concerts.

In 1849, 31 years after it was written and sang in that little Austrian church, Silent Night, Holy Night was published in English for the first time. And yes, it was in a Methodist hymnal. And tonight, 190 years later, we are still singing it. And that, as Paul Harvey says, is the rest of the story.

So this Christmas Eve let’s enjoy this beautiful song and remember that there are no coincidences in life and there are no small or insignificant efforts. We all make a difference in this world by being God’s servants. You just never know how much!