A Service of Lessons and Carols Inspired by “Silent Night”

It is, by far, the most popular Christmas carol, and it has a fascinating history. Silent Night was first sung on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in the small Austrian village of Oberndorf. It was composed when a broken church organ forced Father Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber to create a simple carol for voice and guitar. Its quiet melody has echoed through the centuries. The tune is simple, but the text is profound. Consider the lyric, “Christ the Savior is born!” The prophets had foretold that the Christ would be true God, who is omnipresent, eternal, and almighty. Yet, the Christ would be born. He would be confined to his mother’s womb, have a birthday, and enter our world as a weak and helpless baby.

This Christmas Eve, let us walk through the phrases of this beloved hymn and ponder that mystery—Christ the Savior is born! How is this possible? And what does it mean for our lives, both now and in eternity?