All is Bright!

Sunday

Nov 29

1st Sunday of Advent

Silence

Advent 2020

On Christmas Eve 1818, an Austrian curate gave his organist a newly written poem, asking that it be set to simple music. That night two vocalists and a choir sang the song, accompanied by a guitar. That hastily written music, likely written because the organ stopped working, has become a Christmas classic: Silent Night. It may have begun as a workaround, but now it is almost inconceivable to think of Christmas Eve without candles and Silent Night.

Joseph Mohr’s text captures an intimate family moment. During the night, a mother looks lovingly on her sleeping, newborn baby. The song goes on to describe the appearance of angels to shepherds and the announcement that this baby is the Son of God, the gracious redeemer of the world. But it starts with the captivated gaze of Mary on her beautiful child, and all around her is silence.

Mothers know the silence of a late night when their baby has just fallen asleep. They have looked upon their own babies with that same wonder, awe, and love. Since there are so many loud and chaotic moments, such sweet times of peaceful quiet are precious opportunities to reflect on the gift of a child.

Silence is a strange topic for a song. It is also a strange thought for our high volume age. We surround ourselves with sound, so much so, that silence can feel very uncomfortable. But we need silent times too. Silence can be a posture of expectation. We are silent when it is our time to listen, not to speak. We are silent when we wait for an answer. We are silent, holding our breath as we await something being revealed to us. Psalm 62:1 says, For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. There are indeed times when it is right to be silent before the Lord.

This year, many voices have been silenced. The restrictions meant to curtail the spread of Covid-19 have been a burden for many. Christians have often been frustrated at reduced opportunities to gather with the body of Christ. The guidance to refrain from singing has felt like a great burden. There will be many churches that do not sing Silent Night this year. Many have grieved, longing for the day we can sing again. Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a time to keep silence, but there is also a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7). There is also a time to sing, so the silence has been difficult.

But silent moments are a chance to reflect, to treasure in the heart, to ponder. In the silence of night, God came to this world as a little baby. Your Redeemer has come. Even if we are silent, heavenly song rings out. And we, too, will join the song, for God is among us on this silent night.

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All is Bright: A Concordia Christmas

December 22-25, 2020

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