December 24, 2005

Have faith in God –
When life is marred and made;
Have faith in God –
For you, the Christ has prayed;
Have faith in God –
Lean hard; be not afraid.
Have faith, dear friend, in God.

Silent Night

Josef Mohr, 1792-1848
Translated to English by John Freeman Young, 1820-1885

    Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

    When this beloved hymn was written by two humble church leaders for their own mountain village parishioners, little did they realize how widespread its influence would one day 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 service. He did not want to disappoint the 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 Mohr's words. The carol was completed in time for Christmas Eve, and the men 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 church, he was impressed by a copy of the 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 whenever 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,
Heavenly 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.

Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Have Faith in God by H.M.S. Richards, Used by Permission