Joseph Mohr was a young priest in Austria around 1816. Late one night he went for a
walk and in the distance he could see a winter laden town. Being only a short time after
the Napoleonic wars he took notice of the peace surrounding this little community. He
wrote down the words to a song that two years later would be performed for the
first time by himself and one choir director named Franz Xaver Gruber. The song
performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 co-written between a fledgling priest and choir
director was Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht, or what we know as Silent Night.
It’s one of my favorite Christmas carols to sing in church. There’s something about the
words and sound of the Church, body of Christ, singing in one accord “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.” The peace and calm that
ensues after is often breathtaking but yet mysterious at the same time.
Starting from meager roots Silent Night has been performed in thousands of churches,
homes, towns, and even across enemy lines in war. What God started in a young man
has encouraged the hearts of millions of people over 200 years later. 2024 has been a
year of growth and excitement but I believe 2025 is going to be the best one yet. Why?
Because of you, the Well at Centerville whom God is calling to serve our community. If
our faith is rooted in our God, nothing can separate us from his love or our calling. What
starts small can grow to minister to the hearts of those God loves for generations if we
be a people who see the vision of our own Silent Night.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Tommy
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