Part Two: Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know
We live in a world described by C.S. Lewis’s devil Screwtape as “The Kingdom of Noise.” When we’re not being assaulted by ringing phones or pinging notifications, we have podcasts and playlists pouring into our ears as if listening to something might actually be our real job.
Christmas only adds to the clamor, so I’m reading the lyrics of “Silent Night” with a mixture of longing and skepticism. A Time magazine survey found “Silent Night” to be the most popular carol of all time, and it makes an appearance every year at my church’s Christmas Eve candlelight service. (Unfortunately, I’m still recovering from the experience of supervising four little candle holders and then breathing a sigh of relief when the church was still standing intact at the end of the third stanza.)
Our Kingdom of Noise certainly limits our ability to be at peace, and it’s telling, too, that when Josef Mohr wrote the lyrics in the 1800s, he connected the image of silence with holiness in every stanza:
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 peaceSilent 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 bornSilent 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”
A Scene of Holy Reverence
Verse one of the carol takes us directly into the manger scene with holy reverence. Then, verse two mingles reverence with fear as terrified shepherds who had never seen anything brighter than their own nightly campfire suddenly encounter the blazing glory of God!
Light blazes more softly from verse three with “love’s pure light” and “radiant beams.” Hopeful and faithful believers, awaiting a Messiah, were now free to rejoice in this “dawn of redeeming grace!” The light still shines today in our Advent celebration as we remember his arrival and give thanks, too, for the way he shows up every single day in the details of our mundane faithfulness.
The miracle of Christmas: A holy God brings peace to his holy people!
Tweet
We now have peace with God. We now bear witness to the miracle of the Spirit’s production of actual holiness in us—not mere conformity to rules, but the melting of our hearts.
Even the pronouncement of the heavenly host makes the connection between peace and holiness:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:14
God is pleased with holiness. A holy God brings peace to his holy people.
Could our lack of peace and the shortage of silence in 2023 find their resolution in a greater commitment to holiness?
Certainly, we’re not perfect, but that’s the reason why Jesus came. The Gospel is clear that any righteousness we possess is (in the words of the Reformers) an “alien righteousness”—that which comes to us from outside ourselves in God’s miraculous exchange.
Historically, Advent has been a time of repentance, a quiet, reflective preparation for the joyful celebration of Christmas. Are you finding room for silence, peace, and holiness to work in your heart during this busy time?
Holding You in the Light,
Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know—Part 2: “Silent Night”—Could our lack of peace and the shortage of silence in 2023 find their resolution in a greater commitment to holiness?
Tweet
This is Part Two of my Advent series for 2023: Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know. We’re a singing family, and I love the traditional carols, so I’m grateful that our grandkids are growing up in homes where hymnals are used. Stay tuned for upcoming Sunday posts featuring theological musings on some of our most-loved Christmas carols.
And in case you missed Part One, CLICK HERE for thoughts on “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.”
Free Encouragement in Your Inbox…
On the third Thursday of every month, I send a newsletter with biblical encouragement straight to my subscribers’ email inboxes. Frequently, I share free resources, and the newsletter is where everything lands first. I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path.
To add this free resource to your pursuit of biblical literacy, simply CLICK HERE. There, on Substack’s website, you’ll find a prompt that looks just like this image for Living Our Days with Michele Morin. Over on that site, simply enter your email and then click on the purple “SUBSCRIBE” button.
You’ll receive a welcome letter to confirm your subscription and monthly encouragement in your email inbox.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase any of the books or products I’ve shared, simply click on the image, and you’ll be taken directly to the seller. If you decide to buy, I’ll receive a few pennies at no extra cost to you.
Living Our Days 
YES!
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLike
This is probably one of my all time favorite Christmas carols and the candle lit vigil while singing Christmas eve is one of my favorite Christmas memories. Thankfully though I may have dripped melted wax a time or two we never set the church on fire either.
LikeLike
This Carol has put quiet parentheses around a moment for me a good many times on Christmas Eve! And here’s to those intact church buildings!
LikeLike
When I hear “Silent Night”, I feel that there is hope in our world for peace to come to our lands. Yet, I know it would take a true humbling of certain people’s spirits in order for that to happen.
LikeLike
And while we wait, we dip our cup into the deep well of God’s peace that doesn’t depend upon circumstances.
LikeLike
Beautiful, Michele. The tune as well as the lyrics of this beloved carol do create an atmosphere of holy reverence as we envision the birth of our Savior–the holy hush in that stable as Mary and Joseph cradled the Savior (THEIR Savior), and as shepherds ceased (boisterous?) running from the fields and bowed in quiet, incredulous wonder. Praise God he still makes his PERFECT, heavenly peace available to all who seek him.
LikeLike
Michele, this is one of my favorites too. I agree about the noise in our world today and perhaps Silent Night helps transport us back to quieter times. My church played it last Sunday – a modernized version with a band and even changed some of the notes around. I found myself longing for the quiet beautiful original hymn.
LikeLike
There’s no substitute for the focused attention that comes with quiet and reverent music.
LikeLike
Such a beautiful hymn, and we sure do need that silence and holiness that only god can bring. When you wrote of Him melting our hearts I thought that melting is a quiet process that takes place in holy communion between God and us.
LikeLike
And that’s the miracle!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
LikeLike
‘The Kingdom of Noise.’
Wow, if that isn’t descriptive of where we find ourselves. And even more so right now. The clamor threatens to undo our brains and our very souls if we allow it. I’ll be carrying this phrase with me, Michele, and continue to watch for too much overload in those fragile places. I’ve been lowering the volume on those ever-present Christmas carols and yes, hitting the OFF button more and more. I need the silence. I need Him.
Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for all the ways you mentor me in the Christian life … and the online life, too. I praise God for the impact you’ve had on so many women over the years.
LikeLike
That little gem is tucked into Screwtape Letters, and if it was true in the 1940-50’s of Lewis’s writing life what would he have said about 2023? I wonder…
I guess we have a mutual mentoring society going on here across the New England miles. I’m grateful for your voice and your wisdom, hard won, I’m sure, but so appreciated.
LikeLike
Love this Michele. I’m practicing rest and refreshing my soul this season. I’ve been so overwhelmed with “noise”. I’m doing better as I intentionally stop, pause, reflect and refresh in him
Visiting today from Joanne’s
LikeLike
Good to connect with you anywhere, Paula! Merry Christmas!
LikeLike
Thanks for helping us to pause and pay attention to the beauty in this familiar carol, Michele—it truly is a treasure. Stopping by from #instaencouragements 🙂
LikeLike
Merry Christmas to you!
LikeLike
We do need quiet time during the holidays, like Mary, to “ponder” these things in our hearts.
LikeLike
And ironically, everything about Christmas seems to conspire against that…
LikeLike
[…] you missed Part One, CLICK HERE for thoughts on “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and HERE for my musings on “Silent […]
LikeLike
Such powerful thoughts about such a beautiful hynm!
LikeLike
I look forward to singing it with my people!
LikeLike
[…] you missed Part One, CLICK HERE for thoughts on “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and HERE for my musings on “Silent Night.” Then, PART THREE takes us to Bethlehem where we […]
LikeLike
[…] with Part One: CLICK HERE for thoughts on “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and HERE for my musings on “Silent Night.” Then, PART THREE takes us to Bethlehem where we […]
LikeLike