Silent Night, Holy Night, is the most beloved Christmas carol. This year, it will be sung around the world in more than 138 languages.
Joseph Mohr wrote the original lyrics in German. Franz Gruber composed the melody. The two men sang the carol for the first time 191 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1818, at the St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf, Austria with guitar accompaniment. Since then, the carol has achieved worldwide appeal and there are now more than 300 known versions of the song.
Perhaps the most unique story concerning this carol, happened in 1914 during World War 1, when the troops fighting in the trenches, heard the carol on the battlefield. For the evening, the opposing sides laid down their guns, sang together, and together celebrated the birth of Jesus. That night, the guns were silent. Interestingly, one of the soldiers who opposed the singing of the carol and ridiculed those who sang it, was Adolph Hitler, then a young soldier in the army.
WAS IT A SILENT NIGHT?
As beautiful as the carol is, it gives the impression that Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the hills of Judea and the palace of King Herod were silent the night of Jesus’ birth. Nothing could be further from the truth. The first Christmas was not a silent event. Christmas was the miraculous invasion of God into earthly society. The world could not keep silent in the face of such a momentous event.
That first Christmas night echoed with natural and supernatural noise. There was nothing silent about the birth of Jesus. The heavens exploded with joy and excitement. The sounds of the animals in the stable, the voices of childbirth emanating from unhygienic conditions and the quiet cries of the newborn baby, all filled the night air.
It was not a silent night! The angels were not silent. The shepherds were not silent. The wise men were not silent. God was not silent. Jerusalem was not silent.
And we should not be silent. The news of the birth of Jesus is too good to keep to our selves. We need to make some noise.
More and more it is becoming politically incorrect to speak of Christmas being the celebration of the birth of God’s Son. The media tries to silence voices that speak of the biblical account. Academics try to neutralize any mention of the virgin birth. The world is trying to silence us when it comes to the message of Christmas but I am determined that this Christmas should not be silent.
God was not silent that night. The shepherds said God had made the event known to them. They said it was the Lord who told them about the birth of the Savior.
That night, God spoke to humanity. In the past, God had used many people and many ways to speak to people, but the coming of the Savior was so significant, God spoke by sending his Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2). Christmas is God speaking to us by his Son, the Divine Word. When he spoke, he exhausted his vocabulary!
DON’T BE SILENT THIS CHRISTMAS
How do we keep from being silent this Christmas? How do we keep the world from silencing us?
1. Sing praise with the angels.
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:13-14).
What a symphony of sight and sound! The black night suddenly blazed with light as sleepy shepherds were terrified by the appearance of an angel with a message from Almighty God. Thousands of angels filled the night sky praising God and joyfully proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ birth. This was hardly what one would call a silent night.
Mary praised. And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. (Luke 1:46).
Zechariah said, Praise be to the God of Israel because he has come and redeemed his people. (Luke 1:68).
Later, Simeon held the baby Jesus and praised. Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation. (Luke 2:29-30).
Let’s join the heavenly choir and the cast of Christmas characters in praising the King.
2. Worship with the magi.
We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him… They bowed down and worshipped him. (Luke 2:2, 11).
The greatest thing about the magi is their worship. It was not their education, their extensive journey or the star they followed. It was their worship that mattered. We don’t know how much the magi knew about God but they knew enough to worship the Christ-child. What they did know, most likely came from the prophecies of Daniel.
Worship is not about style or technique. Worship is not about how old or new the music is. Worship has nothing to do with the instruments played. There is no evidence the wise men sang their worship. Worship is giving your heart and affections to something bigger than yourself. It’s devotion and dedication to something that is eternal, powerful and trustworthy.
Worship is not just a momentary emotional experience; it is bowing in surrender before the one holy God. There is no worship without submission; there has to be surrender or there is no worship. True worship is a direct encounter with the Almighty God. Worship is not about us; it’s about him. Worship is recognizing his worthiness
iii. Witness like the shepherds.
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:15).
The shepherds did not go back to sleep when the angels left. They rushed to Bethlehem to check out the angel’s announcement. Did they avoid mentioning the unsettling event to others? No. Their journey was marked by outbursts of fervent praise. The Bible indicates they broadcast the news so that all who heard it were electrified.
Here’s what is often missed in the story. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. (Luke 2:17). The shepherds were so excited and so thrilled that they just had to tell all they met. They spread the word. What they saw and what they heard had changed their world. They could not remain silent.
The shepherds’ exuberant witness provides a powerful example for our own enthusiastic testimony this Christmas season. It is tragic when Christians get so engrossed with their celebrations that they forget their neighbors who do not know the significance of Jesus’ birth.
It is absurd today for people to suppress the truth of what happened that night. This is no time for silence. We, who have something so magnificent to celebrate, should celebrate vigorously and without apology. This is not a time for silence; the world needs the news more than ever.
Christmas celebrates a fantastic event, an event far beyond human comprehension. The Creator took a place inside a cradle. The One who upholds all things by the word of his power, was held in the arms of a Jewish virgin. The Ruler of the universe rested in a manger stall. The first Christmas in Bethlehem took place at night but it was neither silent nor inconspicuous.
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