December 15, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, December 15.
When you think of great hymn stories maybe you think of John Newton standing on the deck of his slave ship before he was amazingly saved - and wrote Amazing Grace. Or maybe you think of Horatio Spafford standing on the deck of an ocean liner looking out at the spot where his family's ship went down - before he went back to his stateroom and, in his grief, wrote It is Well With My Soul. The greatest story behind a Christmas carol isn't nearly that dramatic... but it is memorable.
The year was 1818 and the little church (St Nicholas Church!) was preparing for a Christmas Eve service - a service that the whole town would attend. But there was a problem. The old church organ had broken down. And in those days - No organ / No service. The young pastor, Joseph Mohr, sat in his study pondering this dilemma and, as so often happens, from calamity came creativity. The words to a new Christmas poem sprang to his mind and he quickly wrote them down. He hurriedly took the poem to the home of Franz Gruber, the little town's music teacher (and the church's organist). And just as quickly as the words had come, there came a lovely, lilting melody. That evening, in front of the whole town, the two young men sang this new song for the first time - to the accompaniment of a single guitar.
We'll be singing this classic carol in our worship service this Sunday. Perhaps you'd like to take a moment right now... to sing it again.
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, 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!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
