My Favorite Christmas Carol: Silent Night

When I was little I remember Dad telling  me he could sing Silent Night in German.  That was so cool!  Ever since then it has been my favorite Christmas carol.  I think I like it too because I like the night so much.  The silent night is powerful.  It's nice to be out when it is so peaceful.  My morning rides home are enjoyable for that very reason.  It's quiet.  The stars are out.  It can be so peaceful....until a car comes along.  :-) 

I decided to do some digging and so I looked online to find out a little more about the history of the song "Silent Night".  The author, Joesph Mohr was born in the city of Salzburg on the December 11, 1792 .  As a boy  he was poor until he met Johann Nepomuk Hiernle . Hiernle served as a vicar and leader of music at the Salzburg Cathedral.   This gave Mohr a good opportunity to get an education as well as develop his skills as a musician and his childhood was spent preparing for the priest hood.  On August 21,1815 he graduated from seminary and was ordained a priest.

Mohr served as assistant priest in  Mariapfarr, Austria from 1815-1817.  It was there that he wrote the words to "Silent Night."

Franz Xaver Gruber was born on November 25, 1787 at Unterweizburg 9 in the village of Hochburg in the Inn River region of Upper Austria.  He wrote the melody to "Silent Night."    He was the fifth of six children and his parents were linen weavers.  Although he was expected to take up the family trade he wanted to become a teacher.  He discovered his love of music early on and his school teacher encouraged him by giving him lessons.   He was a weave until he turned 18.  Then his father allowed  him to follow his desire to become a teacher and this alos gave him opportunity to serve as organist in the local church.

As "fate" would have it in 1816 both Franz and Joesph were in the same town at the same church on Christmas Eve.  Joesph was an assistant priest and Franz the organist.  Mohr asked Gruber to write a melody for two solo voices with choir and for accompaniment by guitar. The exact events are unknown but it is thought that the organ may have been damaged so they had to go with another instrument as a plan b of sorts.

The fascinating thing I've found is that the English version of "Silent Night" has only three verses coinciding with a translation of an original text of verses 1, 6 and 2, in that order.  The original song actually has six verses.  The reason this is important is in regards to the historical context of the song.  Specfically verse four.

Silent night! Holy night!
Where on this day all power
of fatherly love poured forth
And like a brother lovingly embraced
Jesus the peoples of the world,
Jesus the peoples of the world.

The area in which Mohr lived had just underwent the Napoleonic wars (1792-1815) which had caused much suffering..  New borders were being drawn and things that people had been doing for centuries were changing.  That's why verse four took special meaning to the people of that area.  I find it intriguing that a song we hear in the malls and on the radio every year has such a deep spiritual and yet at the same time political origin.  People who were living in an economy much like ours, facing depression and coming out of a war were given the gift of this song.  A message of encouragement giving the people hope.  Why?  Because there is a Father who loved them and all the peoples of the world.  What a message!  Certainly something that still holds true today!


sources: http://www.stillenacht.at/en/index.asp, http://www.stillenacht.at/en/text_and_music.asp, http://www.stillenacht.at/en/origin_song.asp, http://www.stillenacht.at/en/spreading_song.asp
 http://www.stillenacht.at/en/gruber.asp, http://www.stillenacht.at/en/mohr.asp

Some thoughts

My plan was for my next post to be on Silent Night.  That is in the works.  However this would be (to use the Star Trek vernacular) supplemental.  For me it's actually an experiment as well.  This will be my first time using a computer to free "write."  But I digress.  Onward and upward.

Most (if not all) who read this blog know of the tragic events of this past week in CT.  For me on the outside looking in I can't even begin to comprehend how to begin to comprehend what they are going through.  However, I found myself trying to identify with them.  Putting myself in their shoes.  All night at work I found myself asking God, "Why?"  I spent the ride home continuing to mull it over in my head.  Ironically, he answered.  I'll tell you what he said in a minute and this is why.  Even after he answered I still kept asking why.  It was almost like I was a little kid.  You know the one.

Kid:  "Why do dogs have tails?"

Mom:  "Because that's how God made them."

Kid:  "Why?"

Mom:  "He just did."

Kid:  "Why?"

...and on it goes.

Isn't that how we are sometimes?  Even when God gives an answer it's not good enough or we just take it in stride and don't even consider that he might be answering the very question we've been asking.  We don't need to keep wondering.  He answered!

Now, one of the things that has been plaguing many people and still is (myself included) is how will God use this?  What good can come from a tragedy like this?  Plus, why at Christmas of all times?  This stuff is horrible at any time but does it have to be on at a time when people celebrate family?  Don't criminals have at least a little bit of compassion?  All questions we can't answer.  It seems hopeless.  I'll admit that I was angry.  Angry to the point that I actually thought that bringing the guy back so I could kill him would be a solution.  Now, that said, I dismissed it immediately as that is in no way, shape, or form the right way to resolve this.  That is not how Jesus would do it and it is not how I would either.  I had written a post and as I wrote it I could feel the anger in my fingers.  I stopped typing.  I will not let the Devil control me.  He has a foothold already in the area of sarcasm.  I have to be very careful how I respond to people.  Even if I am not angry I can sound like it.  I've had to go back and apologize more times then  I care to admit over the last few months just because of that.  But now, on to God's answer.  I hit a bit of a rabbit trail there.  :-)

My aunt posted a picture of a girl who was shot in the classroom.  Her name is Emile Parker.  They moved from Utah 8 months ago.  The preschool she was at set up a fund for her family on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EmilieParkerFund).  I thought that was cool.  Anyway,  she was a Christian and God pointed out to me that a revival may start as a result of this.  Appreciation for the family, their values and all it entails.  Maybe this is the start of something big.  Regardless of anything, I know it has made everything appreciate family all the more.  Now I can rejoice!  Before I could rejoice as well.  I just couldn't see past all the barriers.  Have a good day!

A Christmas Day Tradition

I mentioned a Christmas hike on my Facebook page today and it inspired me to share the Christmas tradition I had established while living in the Upper Peninsula.  This will be fun for all as it will be much more visual then all of my previous posts.  :-)  You won't have to hear from me as much.  :-)  That said, I do need to share how it started.

Christmas morning 2000.  It was around 7:30am and I was sitting in my living room after opening my gifts wondering what to do with the rest of my day.  Then the thought occurred to me.  Why not take a drive up to Great Sand Bay and have breakfast on the ice.  Given that it was a last minute thing I decided to have a bowl of cold cereal.  And it was cold cereal!  Great Sand Bay is almost 30 minutes from Hancock.  It was between 20 and 30 degrees when I left It at 8am and I had one of those custom Kelloggs cereal bowls.  It was large and glass.  I grabbed a gallon of milk, some Rice Chex (I think), and thinking that the milk would get warm if I kept it on the front seat I stuck it in the trunk.  :-)  (FYI:  Not a good idea.  Don't get me wrong.  It will stay cold but it's still not a good idea.)  Thirty minutes later at thirty degrees, probably less, I pulled up to Great Sand Bay.  It was ice covered.  I pulled out my glass bowl.  It was in the front seat.  However, it didn't matter.  When I pulled out the now nearly frozen (and partially green) milk my cold cereal became ice cold.  It was at that time that I determined that the next year I would make pancakes.  I did eat breakfast on the ice though!    After I finished I continued my trek up to Copper Harbor. However, along the way there were spots I made it a point to stop at every year.  They were actually spots I stopped at year round anyway so it just made sense to stop there on Christmas morning.  One of the stops I made was at was at Eagle Harbor.  

As the years passed and I started taking pictures this turned into a real adventure.  Christmas morning the Keewenaw was mine.  I would see next to no one and would call my parents from Copper Harbor.  I called from a phone booth one time.  I wish I'd taken a picture of it.  I think there are two phone booths next to a hotel in Copper Harbor.  I called from one of them.  No need to call from both.  :-) Then as the winters warmed up I was able to call from the top of Brockway which was cool but depressing since I was able to drive my Ford Escort up a road that normally only snowmobiles could get up.   Then of course I'd have to get a picture of the Copper Harbor lighthouse.  Every year I would always go to this spot
 and get a picture.  I'd take hundreds of shots trying to get that stupid light.  I was really happy I had the LCD screen in the back.  That helped!  So I guess not as many pictures but my trek was mainly one to get out and enjoy the morning.

As I think about those eight years and how I much I enjoyed those yearly treks up to Copper Harbor (I did eat breakfast every year at Great Sand Bay, although not on the ice every year as it didn't freeze. :-)  That was the initial tradition.  Breakfast at Great Sand Bay overlooking Lake Superior.) I know that it was only for a season. :-)  Hmmm...  No.  There was no pun intended but I suppose it could've worked well there.  I now have to look to the future and what God has in store for me now.  It is exciting!  I can't wait to see He has waiting for me around that bend!