24 December

Today's the day when in 1818 the popular Christmas carol Silent Night was composed by Austrian headmaster Franz Gruber. The lyrics had been written by his friend, the priest Josef Mohr. On Christmas Eve he brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody for them with guitar accompaniment, which he could use during Midnight Mass. The request for a guitar accompaniment was unusual as guitars were normally associated with drinking songs. Tradition has it that the organ at his church was not working that night, which may explain this. (A more elaborate tradition says the organ failure was due to hungry mice eating the bellows; it's a pretty story but probably a seasonal embellishment of the original.)

Anyhow the carol quickly gained popularity in Austria and soon became well-loved in the English-speaking world too. During the First World War, the Christmas Truce between English and German troops in the trenches also began on Christmas Eve. Soldiers of both armies joined in singing Silent Night, because it was the only one that soldiers on both sides of the frontline knew in their own language.

As we think of the coming of Jesus this Christmas time, and perhaps enjoy singing or hearing Silent Night , let's be thankful that God himself did not keep silent but sent his Son to be his living word – the way he speaks his message of salvation and hope to all people. Back in the Old Testament God promised through Isaiah that he would not keep his saving plan quiet. This is what he said:

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,

till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,

her salvation like a blazing torch.