Today's Carol: "Silent Night"
This carol was written by a priest Joseph Mohr in the form of a poem in 1816. The original text is "Stille Nacht" and is a lovely piece of music to behold when done in it's original language.
I've included a link of this carol being sung in its original language along with the lyrics that are included in the video.
From the brief research tht I've given to this old hymn, it appears that it was originally written in 6/8 time with a much quicker beat than most of us are accustomed to now.
Here's a link to look into more of the history of the song. You can also find the lyrics that were originally written along with an English comparison at this site if you choose to dig a little bit. I enjoyed reading both lyrics!
Listening to this song, and reading the accompanying lyrics took me back to 2011, when my wife Roberta and I had an opportunity to travel to Germany for 8 days and take in the many sights. One of those excursions included a visit to a German church where we worshipped together in both German and English. It was one of the highlights of our tour.
We were taken to a small meeting room that looked like a grotto, and the local congregation members provided hot herb tea and German "stollen" for us to eat. The local people called it "Jesus bread." The lights were low, and the ladies of the church chatted softly in their native language. Later, we were able to purchase some handmade items from these local people, and we still have a number of beautifully crafted
things in our home from our travels.
As I was sitting next to a German woman in the church sanctuary, and listening to her sing a hymn that I was singing in English, I was boldly struck at what an amazing God we have. A God who speaks all languages, and touches the hearts of people (no matter what their ethnicity.) A God who hears the prayers of people, and knows their inner longings for peace and purpose. A God who loves them with an everlasting
love, and died for each one.
I'm purposely not putting the lyrics up today. I'd like to challenge you to dig a little into the lyrics with a bible at your side. Find the scriptural parallels and rejoice in the gift that God has given to each of us, in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ the Messiah.
