Silent Night - Christmas Eve

I love stories. In particular, I love stories of how God answered prayers in the lives of His people. I want to tell you a story today of one such time. The year is 1816. The place…Austria.

Pastor Joseph Mohr is preparing for the upcoming Christmas services and is praying for inspiration to encourage his congregation. The previous years in Austria and in Europe as a whole have been devastating. The Napoleonic just ended the year prior. A decade of wars throughout Europe have left families torn apart and many injured.

Then in 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted causing ash to fill the atmosphere. As a result of the ash, global temperatures fell dramatically in 1816. The fell so much that the 1816 became known as the year without a summer. In Austria in 1816, snow fell much of the summer. Needless to say, the crops that summer did not fare well at all and by Christmas time, many were starving.

Mohr prayed for the words to give to his congregation in the town of Mariapfarr. God answered this prayer when the inspiration came to write a poem that would eventually come to be known as the song Silent Night.

During the daytime in Austria, many protested the high food prices amidst the shortage. Violence frequently broke out and people in general were in a tough place. As most pastors, Mohr just wanted his people to understand the great love of the Father in heaven that He would send Jesus to us. With all the turmoil surrounding this pastor, the quiet of the night inspired him to write the words to Silent Night.

Joseph Mohr read the words of his poem to the congregation in Mariapfarr in December of 1816 in hope of inspiring them to have hope - to realize the great love of the Father to send Jesus the Savior to us.

Fast forward two years to Christmas of 1818. Pastor Mohr was now in Oberndorf, a village on the outskirts of Salzburg. A roving band of actors visited the town on December 23rd to perform a Christmas drama.

Normally, the drama would have been performed at the church, but the organ was not functioning so the play took place at a private residence that had an organ. On his way home from the play, Mohr ended up on a hill overlooking the snow covered town and remembered the poem he wrote just a few years prior.

He was contemplating the Christmas Eve service the next day and wondered how they would sing their normal songs with the organ not working. As he remembered the words of his poem, he had a thought that the poem set to music would make a good Christmas carol.

The next day on Christmas Eve, Mohr visited his friend and organist Franz Gruber with the poem. Since the organ was out, Gruber composed the arrangement and melody on the guitar. Just a few hours later, Mohr and Gruber sang Silent Night for the very first time with Gruber playing the guitar.

Weeks later, an organ builder came to repair the broken organ and upon completion, Gruber sat to test the repair on the organ and began playing the melody for Silent Night. The organ builder, moved by the song, asked for copies of the music and lyrics and brought them back to his hometown of Kapfing where two well-known singing families resided - The Rainers and the Strassers. After those families heard the song, they put it in their song list and played it everywhere they travelled.

In 1834 the Strassers sang the song for King Frederick William IV of Prussia and he liked it so much that the choir was ordered to sing it every Christmas Eve.

By 1838, Silent Night was performed in the United States for the first time by the Rainers in New York City’s Trinity Church.

In 1863, Silent Night was translated into English and just eight years later was printed in a Hymnal for the first time.

Today Silent Night is sung to the same melody in over 300 different languages.

It inspires us to find calm and quiet and contemplate what it means that Jesus came.

Here are the words of Mohr’s original poem translated into English:

Silent night! Holy night! All are sleeping, alone and awake Only the intimate holy pair, Lovely boy with curly hair, Sleep in heavenly peace! Sleep in heavenly peace!

Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, O how he laughs Love from your divine mouth, Then it hits us–the hour of salvation. Jesus at your birth! Jesus at your birth!

Silent night! Holy night! Which brought salvation to the world, From Heaven's golden heights, Mercy's abundance was made visible to us: Jesus in human form, Jesus in human form.

Silent night! Holy night! Where on this day all power of fatherly love poured forth And like a brother lovingly embraced Jesus the peoples of the world, Jesus the peoples of the world.

Already long ago planned for us, When the Lord frees from wrath Since the beginning of ancient times A salvation promised for the whole world. A salvation promised for the whole world.

Silent night! Holy night! To shepherds it was first made known By the angel, Alleluia; Sounding forth loudly far and near: Jesus the Savior is here! Jesus the Savior is here!

Before we sing this song by candlelight, I’d like to read the account of Jesus’ birth that inspired these lyrics.

Luke 2:1–20 NIV

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 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.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.