And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NKJV
I love singing Silent Night! To me it is both one of the sweetest and most worshipful of all the carols. Looking back over the years, I cannot count the times when I have sung this on Christmas Eve, often while holding a candle or during communion. But as sweet and awesome is the experience of that celebration of the birth of Jesus, we must never allow ourselves to forget that Jesus came with a purpose. He came to save us from our sins. It is built right into HIs name: Jesus, which means “Jehovah saves” And how did he save us? It was on a darkened cold hilltop, nailed to the beams of a cross. How amazing it is that Jesus began life gently laid in a crude wooden manger, closing His eyes to sleep and ended it nailed to a crude wooden cross when He closed His eyes in death. And all through that journey from Bethlehem to Calvary, every time Jesus heard His name spoken, He was reminded of why He came and where His journey would lead. And He did it all for you and me! What an amazing love. What a wonderful Savior. What a reason we have to bow in worship at the manger and kneel in repentance at the cross.
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“Silent Night” was my dad’s favorite Christmas carol. I remember it from candlelight services, too. We would sit in the dark as ushers would light their candles from the one candle in front, representing Jesus, the Light of the world. Then as they would walk down the aisle and light the first candle in each row, we would “pass it on.” I always loved to look at the ceiling while this was happening and watch the light gradually spread, transporting the sanctuary from darkness to light. 😊
Have a blessed Christmas, Pete.
Those are special memories! Thanks for commenting.
While Silent Night is beautiful, I don’t believe his birth was a silent night. He came to experience what it was to be human. He suffered much in his life, was hungry and tired. I believe when he woke up hungry and cold, like any baby, he cried.
Yes for the outward look it was anthing but silent. There angels singing. Shepherds shouting praises, cattle lowing and sheep bleating. But on the inside there was this moment of peace as Mary treasured all those things in her heart.