Silent Night

December 17th 2023

Series: The Sounds of Christmas

Sermon Title: The Famous One – Silent Night

Topic: Christmas Carols/Hymns that Inform our Theology

Key Passages: Various

Sermon Blurb: Songs are impactful. Around Christmas each year, we sing familiar choruses and songs that are memorable and meaningful. Christmas Carols or Hymns are important as they present a biblical message.

Green in sermons means illustration, something we are looking for a response from, or a picture that goes on the screens.

Yellow means what is yellow will be on the screens and in the handout.

Sermon:

Hello Family Church!

Family Moment –

Start the messages with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know us.

We’re in week 3 of a series that we are calling, “The Sounds of Christmas.”

And TODAY is when we as a church celebrate Christmas!!!!

So why don’t you turn to a person or two around you and say, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!”

For those who are new or newer to Family Church... thank you so much for being here.

Family Church is MORE than just a name on a sign or website (or shirt).

We REALLY DO value family!

And we encourage you to prioritize your family.

That is why EVERY year since we started, we have done our Christmas service the weekend BEFORE Christmas!

And the week of Christmas we choose to instead of having in-person services we do virtual services…

And... I know that sounds CRAZY to some people...

I know some people think we should have an in-person service next week!

So let me explain why we do it this …..

Christmas is a SUPER busy time of year…

So, we CHOOSE NOT to compete with your already busy schedules...

We CHOOSE to give you some extra margin to celebrate with the people you love most.

PAUSE

Christmas week services are NOT canceled!

We just do a virtual-Christmas-service.

Each Christmas... we provide a quality, fun, and biblical experience for the entire family to participate together from the comfort of their own homes.

Because here is something I know about your families & friends…and mine…

I am a pastor and I KNOW that NOT all my family will come to Family Church…even on Christmas….

But I KNOW that I can get all my family at my house!

And if they are at my house….well I get to set the agenda!!!

And part of that agenda can be watching a service!

We had SO many people last year use the online service as an opportunity to get family and friends to watch a service together…and we want to help you do that again this year!!!

PAUSE

So, we have created a Christmas-Service-Video that will be available on our family church app AND our website starting Monday….

That way whenever you meet with family or friends you can watch the service with them in the comfort of your home….

If you haven’t already done so, download the family church app...

Go to any of the app stores and search familychurch.app

If you ever have any questions or need help with that, feel free to stop by the Bible Stand or Guest Table where we would be glad to help you.

PAUSE

Let me encourage…...

Our Christmas service is an opportunity for you to lead YOUR family this Christmas.

Dad...

Mom...

Grandparents...

Use this resource to lead YOUR family in a “Church Experience” from your own home and living room.

We do all the heavy lifting for you... the songs, the message, and even a salvation-invitation.

All you have to do is gather your family and spend 45 minutes together.

And maybe...

Maybe you will take advantage of the moments to pray for and over your family as well....

That would be SO meaningful!

That would allow you to demonstrate Jesus at the CENTER of your family activities by actions and not just words….

LONG PAUSE

But that is next week…..

Let’s jump into today!!!

Throughout this month, we have been in a series called The Sounds of Christmas.

We have been taking familiar Christmas Hymns and using their themes, lyrics, and song stories to guide our focus each week.

Songs are memorable and make a lasting impression… and that’s why we wanted to let songs guide our theme for this series.

Keep in mind... each of these Christmas Hymns are derived from the Bible.

So, we’re not avoiding Scripture in any of these sermons…but we’re simply taking a different approach to access the Biblical truth.

PAUSE

Today, we’re going to learn about a very well-known Christmas hymn....

Silent Night.

In fact, you may have been wondering “why are the windows all blacked out?”

That’s because we are going to close our service with a candlelight singing of Silent Night...

AND I think it will be even more special after we talk about this song!

Silent Night is a staple of the Christmas season...

Not only in America, but all over the world!

This song has been translated into over 200 different languages.

It is revered as one of the greatest... Christmas Hymn in history.

And what is interesting is how the song... and in particular, how the writer of the song... came from very humble beginnings.

If you like a good, underdog story as much as I do... then you will LOVE this one!

PAUSE

The author of Silent Night was a man named Josef Mohr.

Josef was 1 of 3 illegitimate sons born of an impoverished woman named Anna Schoiber.

Josef’s dad was a mercenary soldier... who, once he learned that he was going to be a dad, left and never returned.

Josef was illegitimate, impoverished, and insignificant.

And to make matters even worse... his godfather was the Town Executioner!

You know Executioners were VERY rich, right?… I mean they made a killing

Executioners never lost in a race... because they were always cutting ahead!

PAUSE

As far as relationships go, Josef was connected to all the WRONG people!

BUT the one right connection the family had... was with the local church.

The story goes, that the choirmaster of the Catholic cathedral took Josef in as a foster child.

He noticed Josef’s knack for music.

Like many musicians and singers today, Josef got his start performing in the Church!

This is one reason you’ll notice a lot of young people on our worship teams here… because we believe in developing their talents and passions – it is a high value!

Josef was encouraged and given the opportunity to develop.

Along the way, Josef decided to pursue the priesthood.

In August of 1815, Josef Mohr was ordained as a Catholic priest.

Soon after his ordination, he was sent to a church along the border of Austria and Germany.

This is where he wrote Silent Night.

Because of health issues, Josef was sent back to Austria where he befriended a local schoolteacher, named Franz Gruber...

Keep that name for a moment because it’ll come back into the story.

PAUSE

I want to pause for a moment to note something... Josef came from humble beginnings.

...he was an illegitimate son,

...his dad abandoned him,

...they were dirt poor,

...he ends up in the foster care system.

AND YET... this is the guy who ends up writing Silent Night.

The person who wrote Silent Night was an unlikely candidate who the world had all but forgotten...

But here’s a truth about God that I want you to hear...

Write this down:

God sees me!

Repeat

Psalm 139:2, 7, 15-16

2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar…..

7Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?.....

15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Listen...

… friends may come and go.

… even family can hurt or abandon you.

… you might feel like the WORLD is against you OR no one notices you......

But GOD SEES YOU!

He sees you and He LOVES you deeply!

PAUSE

If you really think about it... that is the message surrounding the Christmas story...

God sees and loves us!

He saw our condition...

Your brokenness and sin.

And He loved us anyway!

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The same writer started his letter with this...

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

God sees you!

God loves you.

He came for you...

ANYONE who believes in Jesus WILL BE saved!

NO ONE is beyond God’s redemptive reach.

PAUSE

Just like we see in the story about the writer of Silent Night!

God saw him.

God equipped him with ability and talent.

God made new connections for him.

God gave him a purpose.

And eventually, God used him to provide something that made a lasting impact!

And God wants to do the same for you!

It doesn’t matter where you came from,

…what you have done,

…how you got to where you are,

God sees you!

God loves you!

God wants to redeem you!

So, make it personal... write this down

God wants to redeem me.

*Repeat

PAUSE

God set up the means through which we could be redeemed from the penalty of our sin...

God set up a way for us to be able to spend all of eternity with him!!!

By simply placing our trust in Jesus Christ.

That is why God said this:

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The KEY to receiving God’s redemption is faith and belief in Jesus Christ.

And I pray that you will consider opening that gift this Christmas.

The gift of salvation and redemption is offered to you through Jesus!

LONG PAUSE

Now... Let’s get back to the song story...

The words of Silent Night were written in the early 1800’s.

The original song had 6 verses... which is 2x the number of verses we sing today.

And what’s REALLY cool about the music... the ‘oh-so-memorable’ melody... was that is was composed on Christmas Eve!

Dec. 24, 1818... just hours before a Christmas mass... Father Joseph Mohr found himself in a bind.

His musical plans for the evening service were ruined because the church’s organ broke.

In a moment of inspiration, Mohr picked up a Christmas poem he had written, and he dashed off to a neighboring village where his friend Franz Gruber lived.

I told you that name would come up again later

By this time, Gruber was a fine musician... serving at his church.

And in just a few short hours, Franz produced the first version of the world-renowned Christmas hymn Silent Night.

And our Worship Pastor, Pastor Matt, loves this part.......

Silent Night was written as a guitar accompaniment!

PAUSE

The message of Silent Night is more than a fairy tale.

It’s more than a ‘moment’ in our history.

The message recounts actual events when heaven intersected with earth.

It highlights God’s Son entering our world….

I marvel at the way God chose to enter this world.

He didn’t do what most of us would expect…

God didn’t feel the need to try and impress anyone…

God chose to come into this world discreetly and humbly.

God be born into a no-name family in an insignificant part of the Roman empire.

If I were God, I don’t think that is how I would do it!

I think most of us would’ve done it differently.

Maybe we would’ve come like a WARRIOR, with bulging biceps looking like the Roc...

We would show off our MIGHT and MAGNITUDE...

Our cosmic power and infinite strength.

Maybe we would’ve chosen to come as a King or Royalty...

Dressed to the nines and holding a bedazzled scepter with a massive crown on our head...

To show our authority and dominion.

PAUSE

I just don’t think most of us would've chosen to come in the way Jesus chose to come.

I think we would’ve done it a little differently if it were our choice.

PAUSE

But God’s ways are not our ways…

God chose to come in humility, stillness, silence, servitude, and lowly status...

And He did it on purpose!

I know...... the angels singing would've been a spectacular feature.

But notice, they didn’t present themselves to Kings and Rulers,

The angels showed up for the lowliest of shepherds.

And yes… later Magi or Kings showed up….

But notice, they didn’t receive a fancy invitation to a Royal Ball,

They were simply studying ancient texts and following the clues.

PAUSE

You see... God’s grand entrance was anything but grand.

It was a silent night, a still evening, a simple arrival.

And YET, it was the most significant moment in ALL history.

PAUSE

That’s the beauty of Silent Night.

It is subtle and sincere.

It is simple and stimulating.

It is unexpected and unassuming.

And above all, it indicates something about God...

You see, if Jesus would have come as a Warrior, it may have intimidated us.

If He would’ve come as a Ruler, more might have bowed the knee.

Instead, Jesus came as a baby... unassuming, meek and lowly... approachable and accessible to ALL.

In this way, God was extending an invitation to come, behold, approach God.

Write this down,

Jesus invites me to Himself.

*repeat

And we are going to take some time to pray now and invite Jesus into our lives….

SALVATION INVITATION

SILENT NIGHT – CANDLE SERVICE/SINGING

OFFERING

See you online next Sunday!!!!!