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There are so many great hymns for Christmas. One year I admitted to a parishioner that I was working really hard on my sermon but nothing was coming together yet. She said, “Oh, Doug. Don’t worry. People don’t come to Christmas Eve services for the sermon. They come for the music.”
And with all of those great hymns, could it be that Silent Night is the favorite for many? We are in a darkened church, holding candles and singing,
“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.”
The next verses give us “heavenly hosts sing alleluia” and “radiant beams from thy holy face.” Yes, that hymn touches the human soul. We can feel like we are right there with the baby, the parents and the shepherds. But do you remember what it took to get to that moment ? Let’s look at what the gospels of Luke and Matthew tell us.
Luke’s gospel begins with the angel Gabriel appearing to a priest named Zechariah. He and his wife Elizabeth have no children and “both were getting on in years.” The angel appears and fear overwhelms Zechariah. The angel tells him Elizabeth will bear a son named John. Zechariah says how can this be? And Gabriel responds to his doubt by giving him the worst punishment a priest can get. He takes away his voice! He does get it back later when the baby is born and everyone wants to name him Zechariah and he writes, “His name is John” on a tablet.
That same angel goes to see Mary six months after appearing to Zechariah. Mary too was afraid. Gabriel tells her she will bear a son named Jesus. Mary also doubts and says, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” But she doesn’t get punished for her question. This shows us that even angels can grow in compassion.
Matthew tells us the story from Joseph’s side. Mary was engaged to Joseph but they did not live together when “she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” Joseph plans to dismiss her quietly to save her from disgrace. Then an angel appears in a dream to tells Joseph that it’s OK to wed Mary because the child she will bear is the messiah.
After this, comes the long journey to Bethlehem where they find no place to stay. Next, we have the birth, the shepherds, the Magi, Herod wanting to kill the baby, the Holy family fleeing to Egypt where they lived as refugees for two years.
A lot happened before and after that silent night when all was calm and bright with sleep in heavenly peace.
This is good news because it shows God comes into broken and messy lives like ours. God was present there then and God is here now. There is no place, no situation, no person that is closed off from God’s abundant grace.
Let’s invite the words and the experience of Silent Night to enter our souls. We will know Christ’s presence in the candles in the darkness of our churches. And we will know him, too, in the darkest places of our lives, in the darkest corners of this world. He is Emmanuel – God with us.
Merry Christmas!
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