Father Joseph Mohr, of Austrian German descent, wrote the lyrics to one of our more popular Christmas carols, Silent Night. Now over 200 years old, Silent Night was first sung on Christmas Eve, 1818, under the title, Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht. Franz Xavier Gruber is credited with writing the melody and sang with Mohr, who also played the guitar.
Silent Night became extremely popular and was translated into 300+ languages and was even bellowed on the battlefield during WW1! A most welcome but temporary truce came about on Christmas Eve and the soldiers sang Christmas carols from their home countries; Silent Night was proclaimed in German, English and French.
It was 1859 when the already popular tune was published in English by a priest in New York, John Freeman Young. In 1935, Bing Crosby recorded Silent Night and sold over 30 million copies.
Known around the world, Silent Night surely has some amazing stories that we haven’t even heard. While researching the song, I found that supposedly, in the Austrian alps, you are only allowed to sing or play the song on Christmas Eve. The creepy, and rather cruel, legend told to children is that someone will die if it is sung at any other time!
Even though this beloved song doesn’t necessarily have a dramatic back-story, it has brought joy, comfort, and peace to millions. For example, one of the coolest stories about this song comes from the country of Latvia, where The Sweetheart and I were blessed to be a part of a team sent to start churches in the capital city of Riga. When the beautiful Silent Night is sung or played, the Latvian people stand in reverence. When asked why, they respond, “Because we can.”
Under Soviet rule for so many years, singing was taken away from them, including beloved Christmas carols such as Silent Night. Now free from occupation, they do not take it lightly to be able to sing in public and therefore, stand in honor and reverence, giving thanks to God for that Silent Night so many years ago when a Savior was born to redeem us all.
The words we sing today to Silent Night are vastly different than what Mohr had written over 200 years ago. Here are the original verses translated from German.
Silent night! Holy night! All are sleeping, alone and awake Only the intimate holy pair, Lovely boy with curly hair, Sleep in heavenly peace! Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, O how he laughs Love from your divine mouth, Then it hits us – the hour of salvation. Jesus at your birth! Jesus at your birth!
Silent night! Holy night! Which brought salvation to the world, From Heaven’s golden heights, Mercy’s abundance was made visible to us: Jesus in human form, Jesus in human form.
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.
Silent night! Holy night! Already long ago planned for us, When the Lord frees from wrath Since the beginning of ancient times A salvation promised for the whole world. A salvation promised for the whole world.
Silent night! Holy night! To shepherds it was first made known By the angel, Alleluia; Sounding forth loudly far and near: Jesus the Saviour is here! Jesus the Saviour is here!
Remember as you sing this song this Christmas season, and you surely will, that because of Jesus, because He lives, because He overcame, we can too! We have hope of eternal life . No matter what is collapsing around us we can literally sleep in heavenly peace. Because of Jesus.
Little boy, barely old enough to talk. A tiny guy of few words, he was always lovable. The last of three, he was definitely spoiled not only by his parents but by his two older brothers, one by 5 1/2 years the other by 11. He followed them around like a puppy, emulating their every move.
He was everybody’s baby, passed around endlessly at church, fought over by teenage girls way before his time, with little blond curls that were just too hard to resist.
But when exhaustion had set in and he couldn’t take another step, he would melt everyone’s heart with two little words when he would come running up to you, arms open wide like a funnel and say, “Holdju! Holdju!”
Whoever happened to be the recipient of his affection at the time would lean over, scoop him up and immediately that little head would plop on your shoulder. Victory.
He knew where to go, he knew what to do, he even knew what to say.
Hold you.
Do you? Know where to run when exhaustion has taken over your body, your mind and your very soul?
Do you? Know what to do when you cannot take another step, feel like your world is crashing in and even those closest to you can’t help?
Do you? Know what to say, how to cry out for help and be assured of a response?
When we have reached the end of our rope and are so overwhelmed with LIFE, Jesus is just waiting. Waiting for us to give in, to come running and to surrender to Him! He wants to scoop us up in His everlasting arms and give us the comfort, strength and peace that we so desperately need. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms!” Deuteronomy 33:27
Hold you, Jesus? Yes, if we can reach up and call on His name, He will respond.
I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. You will see why I say The Sweetheart is a good sport. Be blessed!
After 43 years of wedded bliss, The Sweetheart has always, always preferred me before himself. He has been a gentleman and yet, at the same time, assumed the masculine role of Helper, Handyman and Hero all at the same time.
Except for one day in particular that stands out to me.
The year was 1982.
The place? That is a story in itself.
In high school, The Sweetheart was not known by the title I have bestowed upon him. That would have been weird. He had several names in his Joe Cool days such as,
High Pockets (six-foot-two-152-pounds-soaking-wet-all-legs)
Haymaker. This was his CB handle. Back-in-the-day we didn’t have cell phones, texting, Facebook, twitter or Instagram. Say what?! A CB (Citizens Band radio) was the coolest thing around for a country boy. “Breaker, breaker, 1-9, this is Haymaker, anybody on?” The Haymaker handle came from the fact that this good-lookin’ guy could heave bales of hay over his head like they were empty cardboard boxes. (Be still my beating heart!)
Flash. Yeah. Flash. This High Pocket Haymaker was a pretty good photographer. Again, we are going back in time for some of you…before the digital age, before you could take 1,000 pictures on your cellphone and not worry about how much it would cost. We had something called film that DID cost and we had also had flashbulbs on less expensive cameras and flash attachments on his professional cameras. They didn’t come with a flash, that was something you purchased extra. Hence, the nickname.
Flash spent much of his high school days with the journalism and yearbook staff. He was the resident photographer at many, many events. He landed a job at a photo finishing lab known for their same-day-turn-around. This was a major big deal in the late 1970’s folks. Take your film into the store and come back and pick it up later that day. Huge.
High Pocket Haymaker Flash gets married and decided to open his own photo finishing lab in a neighboring town.
Big dreams, no money, big dreams.
High Pocket Haymaker Flash has a Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife who delights in helping him in his adventures and most every day you would find them developing film and handing out pictures to happy customers.
The first couple of weeks after the grand opening, Flash and his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife were driving their orders back to his former employers’ store for developing while awaiting the arrival of a piece of equipment. The Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wifewas designated most days to make the 30 minute drive.
Now, Flash had a car that fit his name perfectly. For his graduation present, his parents had bought him a brand new Camaro, firethorn red in color. Super cool. (I just happen to have a picture of it in his driveway.)
Flash, being the loving young newlywed husband that he was, gave the car to his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife and bought himself a truck.
His Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife hated the truck.
She didn’t dislike it because it was a stick-shift. Her first car was a stick and Flash had taught her how to drive it when she was only 16. She wasn’t fond of the truck because it just wasn’t cute. But the car went fast. The car was red. The car turned heads and she was Cute, Adorable and Very Young.
We should pause here and catch up the reader to the fact that Flashand his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wifewere married almost two years when they were blessed with a Blond-Hair-Blue-Eyed-Boy-Wonder that turned their world upside down in a very good way. The super cool Camaro would soon be replaced with something more practical but, for now, they still enjoyed feeling young and invincible. And the Blond-Hair-Blue-Eyed-Boy-Wonder was staying with my good friend, The-World’s-Best-Babysitter.
So back to the first two weeks of owning the new business…Flash has the order all ready to take north and his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wifeis all set to jump in her super cool car and start the journey. But Flash decides she should take his truck, for reasons that this writer, who has aged many years since then, cannot remember. Still, he was insistent and even though she protested because she detesteddriving the truck, and hadn’t learned how to pout and get her way, grabbed the keys and jumped in the little Nissan.
Heading down the four-lane highway in the town where they had their business, Flash’sCute, Adorable and Very Young Wife had not gone far when an elderly lady in a tank pulls out in front of her. There was no time, people, no time at all to even think of finding a way out. All she remembers is a loud crash and pain. Lots of pain.
The Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife jumps out of the truck because she thought it was on fire (just the radiator ma’am) and takes two steps before she collapses in the arms of the leader of the Hells Angels, her knight-in-shining-armor and the only soul on the highway who stopped to help. He picks her up and sets her back inside the truck telling her to wait for the ambulance. (I am not making this up!)
Well, that shouldn’t take long. Where does this accident take place you ask? Directly in front of the town hospital; and even then, all of those years ago, someone brighter than me and you decided that sending an ambulance to their front yard made more sense than the policeman just pulling in the driveway with the injured. Go figure.
In the Emergency Room all is a blur. There is blood everywhere but we deduce that it is all from a lost front tooth that met hard with the steering wheel. The doctor was convinced both legs were broken from the impact and they were preparing for x-rays. The nurse wanted to call Flash to come but the Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wifeknew he couldn’t leave the lab. There were no other employees at the time, Flash was all alone. Yet, the nurse insisted because she thought the injuries were severe enough that someone should be there. She dialed the number but handed the phone to the Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife and the conversation went something like this:
Flash: Photo Finish, how may I help you?
Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife: I’ve been in an accident and haven’t made it to the lab yet. Can you come?
Flash: I don’t have time for jokes, I’m very busy. Where are you and why aren’t you there?
Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife: I said I’ve had a wreck! I’m at the hospital now and they want you to come!
Flash: Listen, I’m glad you think we have time for humor but I am swamped now get going and call me when you are ready to head back.
Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife: But Flash, I’m really hurt, they think I’ve broken both my legs!
This is when my opinion of the nursing profession soars and I envision one of my children with an RN and many other credentials after their birth name. She takes over and grabs the phone from me:
Nursing Professional with Domineering Personality: Mr. Flash? This is the hospital ER department. Your Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife has been in a terrible accident. We are preparing for x-rays on her legs immediately. I strongly suggest you get in your car right now and GET HERE. Did I make myself clear?
Flash: On my way.
Flashdoes come to the rescue of his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife. Her legs, fortunately, were not broken, only badly bruised and traumatized. The next stop was the dentist’s office, after hours, to deaden the root of the lost tooth. The driver of the other car, who was in her late 80’s btw, was not injured, thankfully, and was very concerned about the Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife.
The moral of the story?
We disagree on that, the two of us.
Flash and his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife learned many things that fateful day.
Flash lost his beloved little truck and his Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife talked him into a new family car.
His Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife is reminded of that painful day every time she looks in the mirror at the new tooth that just doesn’t seem to belong.
Flash continued to shoot weddings and Little League teams before he made his way into the world of air traffic control. But the most important thing is that he now wears the title of Hero and has never missed a chance to rescue his damsel-in-distresssince that unforgettable day all of those years ago.
p.s. His Cute, Adorable and Very Young Wife had a CB handle too! I was his Sunshine. Of course! So, Happy Birthday, Flash! You’ve worn many titles since then including The Sweetheart but now you relish your most earned and beloved title of Poppy to your half dozen grands. We may have changed a bit since those glory days of our youth but we are still together, celebrating life and being thankful for the blessings of our God.
