Every time I get to this season of the year, both Christian and secular, I become a bit nostalgic. I keep thinking back to a time in my life in the past – I really cannot pinpoint what year it is – and I recall the simplicity of Advent and Christmas. And every year, Jodi and I begin to plan how we want to present the Advent or the time waiting for the arrival of Jesus as well as Christmas Eve. The weeks leading up to the glorious day are somewhat easy to plan for. All we need to do is settle on a direction or topic or viewpoint we want to follow and basically, follow it. But when it comes to Christmas Eve, that gets a little bit trickier.
It’s not because there isn’t room to change because there is plenty of room. It’s a bit trickier because there really needs to be a reason to change something. In the case of the retelling of the story of the birth of our Savior, would changing the retelling change the real message?
Humans tend to make simple things difficult sometimes, even when it doesn’t need to be. A classic example is the proverbial ‘Rube Goldberg Machine.’ If you don’t know what that is you can basically distill it down to the process of taking any one easy and simple task and make it as hard and complex as humanly possible to achieve the same result. Life and Christianity does not have to be that difficult.
So how does one express the story of Jesus’ birth without making it difficult? You simply tell the story. This is going to be the 13th Christmas I have been given the honor to tell that very same story. And every time I prepare to tell it I am reminded that all across the world, there are others telling the very same story I am sharing.
German
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, alles ist ruhig, alles ist hell. Um die Jungfrau und das Kind! Heiliges Kind, so zart und mild, schlaf in himmlischem Frieden, schlaf in himmlischem Frieden.
French
Douce nuit, sainte nuit, tout est calme, tout est lumière. Autour de la Vierge Marie et de l’Enfant ! Saint Enfant si tendre et si doux, repose en paix céleste, repose en paix céleste.
Japanese
静かな夜、聖なる夜、全ては静まり返り、全ては輝いている。あの処女の母と子の周りに！優しく穏やかな聖なる幼子よ、天国の安らぎの中で眠りなさい、天国の安らぎの中で眠りなさい。
(Shizukana yoru, seinaru yoru, subete wa shizumarikaeri, subete wa kagayaite iru. Ano shojo no haha to ko no mawari ni! Yasashiku odayakana seinaru osanago yo, tengoku no yasuragi no naka de nemuri nasai, tengoku no yasuragi no naka de nemuri nasai.)
Norwegian
Stille natt, hellige natt, alt er stille, alt er lyst. Rundt din jomfrumor og ditt barn! Hellige spedbarn, så ømt og mildt, Sov i himmelsk fred, Sov i himmelsk fred.
Ukrainian
Тиха ніч, свята ніч, Все спокійно, все яскраво. Навколо твоєї діви-матері та дитини! Святе немовля, таке ніжне й лагідне, Спи в небесному мирі, спи в небесному мирі.
(Tykha nich, svyata nich, Vse spokiyno, vse yaskravo. Navkolo tvoyeyi divy-materi ta dytyny! Svyate nemovlya, take nizhne y lahidne, Spy v nebesnomu myri, spy v nebesnomu myri.)
Hebrew
לילה שקט, לילה קדוש, הכל שקט, הכל בהיר. סביב אם וילדה בתולה! תינוק קדוש כה רך ועדין, ישן בשלווה שמימית, ישן בשלווה שמימית.
(lila shekt, lila kdush, hakel shekt, hakel behir. sviv am vilda betula! tenuk kdush kah rech ve’adin, yeshen beshleva shmimit, yeshen beshleva shmimit.)
Spanish
Noche de paz, noche santa, todo es calma, todo es luz. ¡Alrededor de esa virgen madre y su hijo! Santo Niño, tan tierno y dulce, duerme en paz celestial, duerme en paz celestial.
Hindi
शांत रात, पवित्र रात, सब शांत है, सब उज्ज्वल है। उस कुंवारी माँ और बच्चे के चारों ओर! पवित्र शिशु, इतना कोमल और सौम्य, स्वर्गीय शांति में सो जाओ, स्वर्गीय शांति में सो जाओ।
(shaant raat, pavitr raat, sab shaant hai, sab ujjval hai. us kunvaaree maan aur bachche ke chaaron or! pavitr shishu, itana komal aur saumy, svargeey shaanti mein so jao, svargeey shaanti mein so jao.)
English
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.
I chose this one stanza of this song to illustrate how the birth of Jesus Christ really was for everyone, not just the Hebrews or the people living in Galilee. I am reminded of Christmas Eve 1914, when peace broke out spontaneously on the battlefield when German troops began singing ‘Stille Nacht’ or Silent Night. By then, the popular song spread around the world and even though the language was different, the truth of those words remained. Simple. Timeless. Peace-filled. And it caused the world to stop, if only for a moment, to live in peace with one another while celebrating a gift like no other had ever been given. On that one night, what once was war became just like the sone; all is calm, all is bright.
As we begin the Journey to Bethlehem with our sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, let us all try to keep the story simple; Jesus was born into the world to save us from ourselves and restore us to a right relationship with God. Let us try to remember that Jesus came for us all no matter the color of our skin, the language we speak, or whom we choose to love and cherish deeply. Jesus came to simply, save us all.
I look forward again, to sharing this time of great anticipation with each and every one of the people of this community. And I cannot wait to sing with a heart filled with joy that same song that will be repeated in every tribe and nation around the world.
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