SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT

November 24, 2018November 24, 2018 | lindamowles

I love the cold weather, and I thoroughly enjoy some snow. Not enough to cause horrible accidents, power outages or massive difficulties, but snow on the trees and bushes and lightly covering the ground. I love the calming effect and profound silence that falling snow brings.

snowy-tranquility-c — Snowy quiet and tranquility.

One Christmas carol that is calming even in the midst of a season of tumultuous activity is Silent Night, Holy Night. This calming effect is due, at least in part, to its sound theology. Let us look at the words of this carol and consider the Scripture that relates to each stanza.

Silent night, holy night; All is calm, all is bright. [1] Round yon virgin, mother and child,Holy infant, so tender and mild, [2] Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

[1] The prophet Isaiah foretold in 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.”

This prophecy was quoted in Matthew 1:23 with a small addition, the meaning of the term “Immanuel”:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to her son, Jesus. Indeed, she confirmed that this prophesy was being fulfilled when she said, in Luke 1:34:

“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?””

[2] Then there is the phrase “Sleep in heavenly peace”.

Jesus is, truly, the source of peace. When His disciples were afraid, He said:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

John 14:27

The peace Jesus provides is overwhelming, and is heavenly peace!

Silent night, holy night, [1] Shepherds quake at the sight; Glories stream from heaven afar, [2] Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! [3] Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.

[1] The word “quake” is not found in the description of the shepherds on that hillside. However, Scripture does support the concept in Luke 2:9 where we read:

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.”

I have to say, if I saw an angel of the Lord, with the glory streaming from the angel surrounding me, I believe that I would be filled with fear and would likely “quake” too!

[2] Luke 2:13-14 tells that there was great singing by the heavenly host:

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””

I can’t write these words without smiling and hearing in my soul the choir singing these words during Christmas anthems. Another way to say “Glory to God” is by use of the word “Alleluia” or Hallelujah meaning “God be praised”.

[3] “Christ the Savior is born”. The angel told Joseph that Jesus was going to be the Savior of men when he announced to him that his betrothed was with a heavenly child.

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21

The angels also announced this to the shepherds on that hillside so long ago:

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Silent night, holy night, (1) Son of God, love’s pure light; (2) Radiant beams from thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace, (3) Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

[1] The babe in the manger was truly the Son of God and “love’s pure light”. Jesus said:

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

John 15:12

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. .””

John 8:12

I doubt that the Babe in the manger had a halo around His head as depicted in religious art. But radiance does assuredly apply to our Lord. Consider the description of Jesus when He was transfigured before three of his disciples. Matthew describes it as follows:

“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”

Matthew 17:2

[2] Redeeming grace was truly brought to earth when Jesus was born. Paul sums this up in Galatians 4:4-5 where he says:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

[3] The carol concludes with the statement “Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.” This is, too, an accurate statement and it is an affirmation of faith and belief in that wonderful Babe. Again Paul writes:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11. Jesus is Lord of all, and He was Lord even as the Babe. He gave up His heavenly place so He could save us from our sins; but He was no less Lord when He was a man than when He was in heaven. The God/Man Jesus Christ is and always has been part of the Triune God, from the time before time began and He will remain such when time no longer exists and we are in heaven for eternity. Jesus is Lord. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

May the blanketing silence of snow cover you, whether literally or figuratively, so that you experience the peace that our Savior brings to your heart and soul even in the hectic days of the Christmas season.

Perhaps listening to Silent Night, Holy Night as sung by Nashville Liberty Acappella on their album Christmas Acappella will get you into the stillness mode.

Do whatever it takes to calm yourself this Christmas. You will be glad you did and your relationship with your Father will grow stronger even in the hectic Christmas season.

Father, thank You for Your Word that tells of the birth of Jesus even hundreds of years before it occurred. Thank You for Your Word that speaks to us today, thousands of years after Jesus was born, telling us of His birth, death, resurrection, ascension and promised return. Help me to keep my eyes on You and Your gift to us, the Babe in the manger who became our Sacrifice on the Cross and is now our Savior in Heaven. Give me the grace to “Be still”, even when chaos reigns around me, through the power and love of Your Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior.

HOW BRIGHT IS THE LIGHT?

September 1, 2017August 24, 2017 | lindamowles

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. … He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Matthew 17:1-2, 5.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John records his vision of the Lord Jesus Christ and says, in part:

In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Revelation 1:16.

When the solar eclipse was occurring on August 21, 2017, we stood transfixed while watching the moon march through the afternoon sky, with the sun high in the heavens. When the moon completely covered the sun, the corona was still visible as a flaming band surrounding the image of the dark moon.

But, when the moon continued its preordained trek across the sky and began to uncover the sun, the sun’s radiant light was not restrained any longer. The power of that first glimpse of the sun’s light was so strong that the corona which had transfixed our gaze seemed to disappear in the brilliance of the sun’s pure light. And, the moon’s participation in this planetary spectacle was almost obliterated by the re-emergence of the sun’s light.

How bright is the light?

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Scripture writers recorded the light emanating from the Lord at his transfiguration by referencing the sun and its bright light. Paul records his confrontation with a bright light when the Lord called him to do His work:

“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.”

Acts 22:6

How bright is the light? The light from the Lord blinded Paul as he was on the road to Damascus. Similarly, we were told that it was dangerous for us to gaze at the sun with our naked eyes, even when the moon was covering part of it. In our sinful nature, we cannot look at the holiness and magnificence of God — He is surrounded in blinding light.

We used eclipse glasses to watch the heavenly event without danger. The Light of our Lord is strong enough to find us when we stray, to guide our path and to extinguish the darkness of sin. When we look at God through the righteousness of His Son, we see His power and His glory, and we have comfort in His omnipotence because we are in His arms.

For a couple of minutes during the totality of the eclipse, the sun’s light was stopped by the moon. The Son’s Light, however, does not stop — it will last forever!

Father, I thank You for the privilege of watching Your creation operate in such wondrous ways. I praise Your name for the gift of seeing Your power and majesty as they are exhibited in Your creation. You are God, and there is none like You. Praise and honor are due to You, and You alone.

SILENT NIGHT

December 13, 2016December 12, 2016 | lindamowles

Anyone who has stood outside while snow is falling has heard “the sound of silence”.

big-snow-in-chicago-1967 — Chicago big snow in 1967

The blanket of snow simply muffles sounds that ordinarily would be heard.

snow-driveway-and-yard — Front yard and drive covered in white blanket of snow.

It is a silence that is palpable, beautiful and spell-binding.

That snowy silence was the impetus behind the Christmas carol “Silent Night” which is a staple in the Christmas collection of carols for thousands of churches. Even secular groups will sing the song because of its incredible imagery, beautiful lyrics and soul-calming theme.

Here is the story behind the creation of this beautiful Christmas classic.

In 1818, Josef Mohr was assistant pastor of the St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg in the Austrian Alps. He was in a meditative mood as he walked home after a Christmas presentation in a friend’s home. He walked along the longer path to his home which took him to the top of a hill.

Surrounded by the majestic Alps, from his vantage point over the village, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. He experienced the awesome silence of the night as he looked at the shining scene below him that looked rather like a Christmas card. As he pondered on the scene, he remembered a poem that he had written a couple of years earlier which described the night when angels came to the shepherds on a hillside to announce the birth of the Messiah.

While Mohr had words that he believed would be a good Christmas carol for the congregation to sing at the Christmas Eve service, he did not have any music. So, he went to see the church organist, Franz Gruber. In short, Gruber had to have a melody that could be sung that evening with a guitar since the organ was out of commission. Gruber composed the music for Mohr’s poem and they sang it that evening without the organ. The congregation loved the carol, and it is reported that many of the people had tears in their eyes from its beautiful rendition.

Later, the organ builder came to repair the St. Nicholas church organ, and, when completed, he asked Gruber to play a tune to test the repair. Gruber sat down at the organ and began playing the melody he had written for Mohr’s Christmas poem. Struck by the beauty of the piece, the organ builder took copies of the music and words of “Silent Night” back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two well-known families of singers, the Rainers and the Strassers, heard the song. They were so thrilled with “Silent Night” that both groups put the new carol into their Christmas season repertoire.

The rest, as they say, is history. The carol swept the world and now it is sung in over 300 languages worldwide.

The words of the carol are beautiful but their power comes from the fact that the carol is also theologically sound, quite a powerful combination! In the next post, we will examine how theologircally sound this wonderful Christmas carol is. In the meantime, Here is a rendition of the carol by The Piano Guys in their album “A Family Christmas”.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10. Perhaps listening to Silent Night will get you into the stillness mode. Do whatever it takes to let yourself “Be still”. You will be glad you did and your relationship with your Father will grow stronger this Christmas season.

Father, help me to keep my eyes on You and Your gift to us, the Babe in the manger who became our Sacrifice on the Cross and is now our Savior in Heaven. I pray that my soul would rest in Your peace despite the calendar demands and obligation. Give me the grace to “Be still”, even when chaos reigns around me, all this is through the power and love of Your Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior.

I’ll be home for Christmas

December 9, 2016December 8, 2016 | lindamowles

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me”. It was recorded by Bing Crosby during war times and was intended to express the feelings of the soldiers who were far from home at Christmas and also to encourage those at home in realizing that their loved one was thinking about them, as they were thinking of the soldier.

Often, by the end of the song, I have misty eyes as I remember Christmas times in the past when things were easier, when loved ones were still with us, when the children were young. All the fondness from memories of years past comes crashing in especially when I have been away from home at Christmas time.

While this is an awesome concept and many of us do return to our natal homes for the holiday, it really has no application to Christmas for the Christian. It sounds great in Hallmark movies or as sentiment in a song, but do you really think that Jesus was anxious to return to the manger to celebrate his birthday? Scripture says:

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

The nativity scene as sewn on a Christmas tree skirt.

Even during His ministry, Jesus did not have his own place to live. Scripture gives this statement from our Lord:

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:20

Of course, the reality is that Jesus did have a “home”. Three of the disciples saw a bit of Jesus’ nature from His “home” at the transfiguration.

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. … He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

Matthew 17:1-2, 5-6.

Paul tells of it like this:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11.

Paul is telling us that Jesus did not hang on to his position in Heaven, but He willingly took human form as a baby. This does not mean that He no longer was part of the Trinity that existed before there was any created order. (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-2; 11:3) He was both God and man, a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend but we accept through faith. He came from Heaven and, after His resurrection and further ministry on earth, He returned to His Father in Heaven. Acts 1:11.

What does this have to do with the believers’ home? Paul specifically states in Philippians 3:20 that “our citizenship is in heaven”. The note on this verse in the Reformation Study Bible says:

Just as Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12), the church is a colony of heaven. Although presently at a great distance, physically speaking, from the heavenly “city” where the redeemed can see the Lord reigning over all creation in glory, the followers of Jesus already belong to that city, which defines their identity and eternal privileges.

The song “I’ll be home for Christmas” relates to our physical home here on this planet. But, for the believers in Jesus Christ, we may live on earth, but our citizenship is in Heaven where we will live eternally with our Lord.

Here is the song as sung by Frank Sinatra on the album Christmas With The Rat Pack.

So, I challenge you to think about your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ each time you hear “I’ll be home for Christmas” this Christmas season. Think about the glories that are yours through His sacrifice and reflect on your assurance that Heaven is where your citizenship lies.

Father, I thank You for sending Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, to this earth as a little baby that we celebrate this season. I pray that I would not forget His coming in all the parties, dinners, activities of the season, and I pray that I would remember that my home is in Heaven, where my citizenship has been guaranteed by my Savior and His Spirit.