Luke 2:8-9
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’”
Several years ago our church had finished an inspirational Christmas Eve service. Earlier there had been candles placed inside white lunch bags that lined the driveway leading to the church. Joyce and I volunteered to extinguish the candles after everyone had left.
It was about a block to the end of the driveway where the first of the candles had been placed. Snow had fallen earlier and there were several inches on the ground. The temperature was about 20°F. The snow crunched beneath our feet, but that was the only sound. We stopped to watch the silent stars and enjoy the sound of silence. We were moved in our spirit with the beauty of God’s creation and was reminded of the old Christmas Carol, Silent Night.
The words of this well loved carol were written in 1818 by Josef Mohr after he had seen a play about the birth of Jesus. He was in a reflective mood and walked to a hill overlooking his village in the Austrian Alps. The view of the snow covered village reminded him of a poem he had written a few years earlier. The poem was about the night the angel announced the birth of Jesus.
The next day he took the words of his poem to Franz Gruber, who had just composed a melody. Gruber re re-worked the melody to match the words to the poem Mohr written. Our beloved carol, Silent Night, was born.
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 peaceSilent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is bornSilent 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
Enjoy this special free inspirational video, “Silent Night” from Gloryscapes.com by going to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/silentnight/ or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil