Christmas Devotion
Silent
Night! Holy Night!
By
Kenneth W. Osbeck
When this beloved hymn was written by two humble church leaders for their own
mountain village parishioners, little did they realize how universal its influence
would eventually be.
Joseph Mohr, assistant priest
in the Church of St. Nicholas in the region of Tyrol, high in the beautiful Alps,
and Franz Gruber, the village schoolmaster and church organist, had often talked
about the fact that the perfect Christmas hymn had never been written. So Father
Mohr had this goal in mind when he received word that the church organ would not
function. He decided that he must write his own Christmas hymn immediately in
order to have music for the special Christmas Eve mass. He did not want to disappoint
his faithful flock. Upon completing the text, he took his words to Franz Gruber,
who exclaimed when he saw them, "Friend Mohr, you have found it-the right song-God
be praised!"
Soon Gruber completed his task of
composing an appropriate tune for the new text. His simple but beautiful music
blended perfectly with the spirit of Father Mohr's words. The carol was completed
in time for the Christmas Eve mass, and Father Mohr and Franz Gruber sang their
new hymn to the accompaniment of Gruber's guitar. The hymn made a deep impact
upon the parishioners even as it has on succeeding generations.
When
the organ repairman came to the little village church, he was impressed by a copy
of the Christmas carol and decided to spread it all around the region of Tyrol.
Today it is sung in all major languages of the world and is a favorite wherever
songs of the Christmas message are enjoyed.
"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, sleep
in heavenly peace.
Silent night! holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar;
Heav'nly
hosts sing alleluia
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night! holy night!
Son of God, love's
pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming
grace
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth."
Used with permission from the Devotion Book, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions
Related Links:
Browse through CBN.com's Christmas Resource
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