Announcements and Reflection Verse
Congregation: Unbelievable & Sing We The Song of Emmanuel
Grace Giving: Video- Behold {One for Israel}
Congregation: Light of the World
Reflection on Silent Night and Psalm 121 [during Psalm 121 Steve quietly plays Silent Night]
Congregation: Silent Night
Message
Closing: Adore
12-14-2025 pdf
* A Reflection on “Silent Night”
As we gather together to worship our Savior, I’d like to share a brief story behind one of the most beloved Christmas carols—“Silent Night.”
This carol, which speaks so deeply to the peace that came into the world when Jesus was born, was written in 1818. The hymn was written by Joseph Mohr, a young man from a small town in Austria. The lyrics were set to music by Franz Xaver Gruber, a local schoolteacher and organist. The story goes that, just before Christmas Eve, the church organ had broken. Gruber created a simple melody for the guitar to accompany Mohr as he sang the lyrics for Silent Night at their church at a midnight Christmas Eve service.
That very night, in the humble church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria, “Silent Night” was heard for the first time. Its simple melody and gentle words captured the quiet wonder of that holy night in Bethlehem when Christ was born, God Himself entered His creation.
Over the years, the song spread across Europe and then throughout the world. Its message of peace reached even the most unlikely places. Even during the darkness of the First World War, on Christmas Eve in 1914, soldiers on both sides of the trenches paused their fighting. In the stillness of the night, voices began to rise—singing “Silent Night,” each in their own language. For a brief moment, amidst the darkness of war, the song reminded them of the light of Christ and the peace the peace his reign brings extends beyond human strife.
Today, more than two centuries later, we still sing “Silent Night” in countless languages around the world. Its message remains the same—a call to remember that in the quiet and the chaos, in times of joy and of struggle, the peace of Christ is with us.
Let us remember that Christ came as our Savior, to reconcile sinners to God through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. The silence of that holy night speaks of the quiet, sovereign work of God in salvation — a work accomplished by Him alone. As we sing, may we let that same peace fill our hearts, just as it did on that first silent and holy night.
Reading of Psalm 121
I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.