Silent Night

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

On Christmas Eve in 1818, Father Joseph Mohr was preparing for midnight service at the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberdorf, near Salzburg, Germany. He was very distraught because much to his dismay the organ was broken, ruining prospects for that evenings carefully planned music. But Father Joseph was about to learn that our problems are God's opportunities, that the Lord causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him. In desperation Joseph decided to write a new song, one that could be sung organ-less. Hastily, he wrote the following words, "Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright...." Taking the text to his organist, Granz Gruber, he explained the situation and asked Franz to come up with a simple tune. That night, December 24th, 1818, "Silent Night" was sung for the first time as a duet accompanied by a guitar at the aptly named Church of St. Nicholas.

Shortly afterward, as Karl Muracher came to repair the organ, he heard about the near-disaster on Christmas Eve. Acquiring a copy of the text and tune, he spread it throughout the Alpine region of Austria referring to it as "Tiroler Vokslied". The song came to the attention of the Strasser family, makers of fine chamois-skin gloves. To drum up business at various fairs and festivals, the four Strasser children would sing in front of their parent's booth. Like the Von Trapp children a century later, they became popular folk singers throughout the Alps just like the Von Trapp family would a century later.

When the children---Caroline, Joseph, Andreas, and Amalie began singing "Tiroler Volkslied"
at their performances, audiences were charmed. It seemed perfect for the snow-clad region, and perfect for the Christian heart. "Silent Night" even came to the attention of the king and queen, and the Strasser Children were asked to give a royal performance assuring the carol's fame.

First published in a German hymnbook, it was used in America by German-speaking congregations, then appeared in its current English form in a book of Sunday school songs in 1863. Were it not for a broken organ, there would never have been a "Silent Night". God indeed makes beautiful things of difficult situations. I can't imagine not having those words to sing at Christmas. I can still hear my Dad singing his favorite Christmas Carol and almost every time shedding a tear. Why don't you sing it right now, we all know the words, now you know the story behind it. That verse from Isaiah takes on profound meaning when we consider how this song was originally written and why. Thank God for Joseph and that little St. Nicholas church, a broken organ and the first silent night.

Now, sleep in heavenly peace. Pastor Fred

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