The Christmas Carol “Silent Night” was written when the church organ in a small town church in Austria in 1818 broke down, and they needed a last minute replacement song that could be played on the guitar. We are still singing the song. The simple lyrics tell us three things about why Jesus was born.
He was born to show us that we are all one people. In recent years we have emphasized the differences. We talk about our ethnic identities and our lifestyle identities. We are more alike than we are different. We are all people for whom Jesus was born. We are all people in need of salvation. We are all one people.
He was born to show us that we need grace. That’s why we exchange Christmas gifts. The gifts are tangible representations of grace. God didn’t send Jesus because we were doing great and deserved a reward. God sent Jesus because we had messed up the world and needed a savior. We need grace.
He was born to teach us that he is Lord. “Jesus, Lord at thy birth,” goes the lyrics. This world will never have true peace until enough people confess that Jesus is Lord. Until that time, we try to maintain order and minimize the damage, but we await true peace under the lordship of Jesus.
In our sermon this Sunday we will tell the story of, and sing, “Silent Night.”