December 19, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Friday, December 19.
We conclude our week of carol stories with a tale you probably know well - but never tire of hearing. Even though we’ve heard the nativity stories in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew countless times, they never cease to inspire our spirits. And even though we’ve sung today’s carol every Christmas of our lives, it always manages to bless our hearts. I hope that this familiar story is a blessing to you this morning - the story of “Silent Night”.
The year was 1818. The place was Oberndorf, Austria. It was Christmas Eve. The town church, St. Nicholas Church, was preparing its annual service, and everyone was planning to come. It was a peaceful scene. But in the office of the pastor, Joseph Mohr, there was chaos. The old church organ had suddenly broken down, and in those days, you just couldn’t imagine a service without an organ.
And then, as often happens, from chaos there came creativity. Mohr, just 26 years old, remembered a little poem he had written two years before, during a time of war in Austria. It was a peaceful poem, and the young pastor thought its words might be a blessing to his town that evening. But he didn’t want it to be a reading, he wanted it to be a song - and Joseph Mohr was no musician. So he hurriedly took the poem to the home of Franz Gruber, a music teacher and organist of the church. The simple words quickly inspired a lovely melody, and that night, in front of the entire town, the two men sang the new carol, “Stille Nacht”, to the accompaniment of a single guitar.
News of the song spread like wildfire, and soon it was known and loved all over Germany. And when, a decade later, German families began to immigrate to America, they brought the little carol with them. It is, today, the most popular Christmas Carol in the world. You may have already sung it this holiday season. You may sing it again on Christmas Eve. Take a moment to sing it this morning. It will be a blessing.
Meet you back here on Monday,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
