One of my treasured family memories is spending Christmas day at my grandparent’s house in the small farm town of Lind, Washington.
We rarely went to their house on Christmas day because they lived 70 miles away, and the snow-packed roads could be treacherous.
The minute you stepped into her house, you knew Grandma had been busy in the kitchen. There were smells I swear I can smell right now, just thinking about it! The turkey, a ham grandpa cured on the farm, dressing in the oven, and baked goods everywhere you looked. Grandma loved to cook for her family!
The other thing grandma loved to do was play her organ. With some pleading, Grandma would take her place at the organ and play Christmas carols. Her feet danced over the two rows of foot pedals while her hands flew across the organ’s keyboards.
One of my favorite carols that she played was Silent Night. She would sing it in German, and I tried hard to sing along. Not until years later did I understand the meaning of the lyrics or how my favorite Christmas carol came to be.
Here's a version of Silent Night sung by the very talented King's College choir:
The Silent Night Christmas Story
Silent Night started as a six-stanza poem written by Father Joseph Mohr in 1816. As the story goes on Christmas day 1818, Mohr showed the poem to his friend, Franz Xavier Gruber, and asked Gruber if he could set the poem to music. A few hours later, Gruber shared the melody with Mohr. Mohr and Gruber performed Silent Night for the first time at St Nicholas church that night! Mohr sang tenor and played guitar, while Gruber played the church organ and sang bass accompanied by the church choir.
The version of Silent Night I learned as a boy is a three-verse shortened version of the original. The first, second, and sixth verses are what most of us recognize as Silent Night.
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 peace.
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
And for you country fans, here's a version of Silent Night sung by the very talented Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood, and Reba McEntire:
When Silent Night Stopped a War
Silent Night quickly gained popularity worldwide. The story is told that Silent Night even stopped World War I for just a little while. On Christmas Eve 1914, a German officer named Walter Kirchhoff, a tenor with the Berlin Opera started singing Silent Night in German, then again in English. British troops recognized the song and sang along. Soldiers from both sides left their trenches crawling forward into No Man’s Land singing Silent Night. For just a few moments that cold, wintery night in 1914, they were just men sharing a song about the love of God and His Son, the savior born of a virgin.
If these soldiers could lay down their rifles and set aside what divided them to celebrate the birth of our Savior, perhaps we can do the same! What do you think? Can we set aside what divides us as a society long enough to remember the reason for the celebration, the birth of Jesus, the Christ, our Savior, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace?
I hope so!
May God bless and keep you in the coming year!
More Articles
I have written several articles celebrating Christmas. You can find them by typing “Christmas” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #409: 9 Lessons and Carols from King’s College
- #357: Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men!
- #305: O Come All Ye Faithful
- #253: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How have you experienced God’s grace and mercy in your life this year?
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Category: Personal Development | Dependence on God
The Christmas truce of 1914 was a rare glimpse of man’s better angels, to borrow from Lincoln. They sang carols, exchanged gifts, took photos, and played some football. But after Christmas it was back to business. We need more of that spirit of common humanity today, more inspiration from Silent Night and God’s message of peace and light. Merry Christmas Ron!
John, Wow, thanks for the extra details. I had no idea.
Merry Christmas, John!