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A MONTHLY HYMN FOR YOUR FAMILY TO LEARN AND SING TOGETHER

Silent Night

 
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December - Silent Night

Lyrics

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

Song 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

Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber, 1818

 
 

December Bible Memory Verse

Luke 10: 10-11, ESV

"And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Listen to Kristyn read Luke 2 from Crossway’s ESV Audio Bible!

Story Behind the Hymn

It was Christmas Eve in 1818 in a small Austrian village called Oberndorf — there, one of the world’s most loved carols was sung for the first time in its original German form, ‘Stille Nacht’. A priest called Joseph Mohr had written the words as a poem a couple of years before, following his experience of a terrible war.

The melody was composed by a local school teacher and organist called Franz Gruber. Mohr brought the words to Gruber so that people could sing it. The organ was broken that Christmas Eve so they led the singing of ‘Silent Night’ with the guitar. Every year at ‘Sing! An Irish Christmas’ we lead this carol with a guitar in honor of the first time it was sung in that little Austrian chapel.

Two folk traveling bands loved the carol and started performing it everywhere and making it more known. It was performed for several of the great kings of Europe and was first sung in New York City in 1839. Today people sing it all over the world every Christmas.

 

Replica of the Austrian chapel in Frankenmuth, Michigan! Keith, Eliza, and some others from our team got to visit this when we were on the road last fall!

 

Something to Think About

The Great War, now known as World War 1, brought so much horror and pain to the world. In those days, soldiers built deep trenches in the land to hide in and attack from. On Christmas Eve in 1914, the Germans and the British, who were fighting against each other, decided to have a peaceful break over Christmas.

In the cold evening air, German soldiers were suddenly heard singing Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British joined them! They later crossed over into the open land between their trenches and played sport and talked to one another. The next day the fighting began again.

Sometimes in very difficult times, when words or actions fail to help, music comes close to us like a friend. The beauty of melody and lyric can open up our hearts like the sun opens up the flowers. Many did not understand all the reasons for the fighting nor did they want to fight anyone. These words were like a soft lullaby of hope.

A little baby in a manger, beneath his mother’s gaze, came into a world full of war and struggle and pain. Into all the fear and heartache, Jesus brings peace that nothing on this earth can destroy. In the West, we sing carols in the winter, at the darkest point of the year. Into the dark, ‘all is bright’ and a ‘redeeming grace’ has come — which is what we desperately need. We sing together to show how Christ heals the brokenness within us and between us. Singing the Word together helps sew us back together!

This month we are focusing on harmony singing! We have included the harmony parts we will be using on the Christmas tour. Why don’t you try and learn a harmony this month?! It is really fun and amazing when all the harmonies fit together.

 

Charlotte Singing the Harmony

Jermaine Singing the Tenor Part

Grace Singing the Melody

 

Prayer

Father in Heaven,

May we join with the carol singers who for centuries have sung of Christ’s birth!

We praise You for the greater gifts of Christmas - the hope and joy and peace only found in the Lord Jesus.

Please use our different voices as we join to sing the Story. May we share Your gifts with others in our weary and needy world

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

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