There are few worship services that are more beautiful and meaningful than a Christmas Eve Candlelight service. Growing up at Memorial the Christmas Eve service was by far the most well attended of the year. The service began at 7 pm, and if you wanted to sit in one of the pews with the rest of your family you needed to be there by 6:30. By 6:45 the ushers were setting up folding chairs in the aisles.
The service was full of music, but the highlight was undoubtedly when the time came to darken the lights of the sanctuary, light everyone’s candles, and sing “Silent Night.”
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,
heav'nly 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!
The calm, quiet, and almost serene nature of the song is often a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas. This is somewhat ironic, because the song was composed in a rush and a panic in 1818 in a tiny village in Austria. A young man named Joseph Mohr was an assistant priest at the St. Nicholas Church in the village and was in charge of the music ministry.
On Christmas Eve that year he was at the church getting everything ready for the midnight Mass Service when he discovered a big problem – the church organ was broken. After spending hours trying to repair it, Mohr gave up and went to his desk to find an old poem that he had written years earlier. Finding the poem, he rushed over to the home of Franz Gruber, the church’s organist. Mohr explained his dilemma and asked Gruber to come up with music to accompany the poem that could be played on a guitar.
Gruber arrived back at the church in the early evening with the music and the two men quickly taught the new song to the choir. It was performed for the very first time just minutes later at the end of the service. A few weeks later an organ repairman visited the church, and while he fixed the organ Mohr told him the story and sang the song for him. Impressed, the repairman started sharing the song with all the churches that he visited as part of his job.
The popularity of the song began to move across Europe and made its way to the United States in 1839. By the Civil War it was the most popular Christmas song in America, and by 196o it was the most recorded song of all time! It will be sung in countless churches filled to capacity with people across the world on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, Joseph Mohr died before seeing his song reach the popularity that it did. The priest probably never imagined that his song that was born out of necessity would have the worldwide impact that it did!
Here’s what’s happening:
1. Both youth groups meet tonight at 6:30 in the schoolhouse.
2. Christmas Caroling night is tomorrow night. Caroling starts at 6:45 pm at both the Fronefield’s and Ellen Ranck’s home. Please let Mary Lois Kreider know which place you’ll be starting at!
3. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service is set for 7 pm on the 24th. Snack and fellowship following the service!
4. There will not be Sunday School on 12/22 and again on 12/29 to give our teachers a holiday break.
5. Men’s Breakfast is on 12/28 at 8 am at Kreider’s Market.
6. Thank you to everyone who was able to contribute to our collection for Solanco Neighborhood Ministries weekend food program for school students. I took a full pickup load of items over there on Tuesday and they were very grateful for the food. As you can imagine, food banks are really struggling to keep their shelves full this time of year.
It’s hard to believe, but this Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent! We’ll be studying the “Gloria,” the song that the angels sang to the shepherds to announce the arrival of the newborn King. If someone you know is in a season of life where they are waiting for God to act in their life, invite them to join you at Bridge. It’s going to be a great morning!
Scott
PS – This is the last “check in” for 2024!
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