Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. …… sleep in heavenly peace. I love You Lord, I worship You. Hope which was lost now stands renewed; I give my life to honor this, the love of Christ the Savior King
Bethlehem was a loud chaotic mess that night. The Roman emperor, Augustus, demanded that a census be taken throughout the Empire. Thousands of people were ordered by the government to travel to their ancestral cities to register for the tax. Augustus forced a highly resentful captive people to travel in harsh conditions to pay taxes with their hard-earned cash. Hope departed long ago for any lasting peace with Rome.
CHAOS IN BETHLEHEM
Mary and Joseph arrived at the town of Bethlehem, a place not equipped to handle this huge influx of visitors. Food and lodging were difficult to come by. Bethlehem was chaotic and noisy. There was no room for the young couple; no peaceful place for teenaged Mary to give birth.
A very pregnant Mary and Joseph finally found lodging in a cave housing animals. No quiet birthing suite was anywhere in sight. At the baby’s first cry, a giant chorus of angels began singing, inviting an influx of shepherds and sheep to the mix at the stable. “Silent night” as we normally picture, did not apply here.
PEACE AT THE CENTERPIECE
However, if one defines “silent night, holy night” as being the centerpiece of all creation coming to the forefront, it is a whole different matter. The angels witnessed God thwarting Satan’s plans for the universe. The birth of this baby in the manger gave the Evil One his final notice. The holiness of God expressed in a tiny baby gave creation a future.
PEACE WITH GOD
That’s why we can sing. Quieting all our worries, troubles, tears, and woes we say, “I love You Lord, I worship You. Hope which lost, now stands renewed.” God laid the way to permanently break the barrier of sin which separates us from a holy God. “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The only honorable response from us can be: “I give my life to honor this, the (absolute) love of Christ the Savior King.”
Peace with God; finally achieved. That is the calmness, the brightness and significance of this night. A loud and noisy Bethlehem became a major step to eternal peace with God. Hallelujah! “Hope which lost, now stands renewed.”
Click to read more about the peace God gives.