Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1433252
20 DECEMBER A HEAVENLY PEACE 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. Philippians 4:4-9 I am bewildered by this hymn ever y Christmas. I find myself questioning the validity of its words. How silent could this night have been, really? As I reflect on Mar y's stor y, these adjectives hardly apply. Could she have been calm when she approached Joseph with the truth of her pregnancy? Did it feel "bright" to her when she could not locate a bed on which to labor? And what of the labor? Was there silence as she strained through each contraction? Was there tenderness as Joseph ripped the babe from Mar y's legs? In my own experience, nothing about bringing a child into this world could be described as mild. For Mar y and Joseph, that night gave way to many more nights of anxiety, chaos, and hear tbreak. Would they be able to provide for the little Messiah? Where would He sleep? How could they keep Him safe? These sor ts of questions would lead Mar y and Joseph into exile, hoping and praying for safety within alien borders. Where was that silence? What calm? Was there any brightness left to be found? As a mother, I often find myself asking similar questions. My little girl was born amongst wildfires and pandemics. My husband and I must weigh the options: do we want our daughter to visit her grandparents, or do we want to avoid the risk of exposing her to a deadly virus? Do we want her to play outside, or will the smoke be too much for her lungs? Will she ever be allowed a normal childhood? Where is the silence? What calm? Is there any brightness left to be found? And yet... The hymn ends with an invitation: "Sleep in heavenly peace." This is not a worldly peace or an explainable one. This is a peace that comes from God himself. It assures Mar y beyond reason that there is goodness—shalom—in the arms of Yahweh. He does not attempt to assure us that "ever ything is okay." Instead, He invites us to rest in the peace He offers. It is this heavenly peace which allows us, God's children, to encounter true hope. He is the Silence. He is the Calm. He is the Brightness to be found. Mattie Motl, Student, Master of Divinity Silent Night Lyrics by Joseph Mohr (1818), composed by Franz Xaver Gruber (1818)