For you alone my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
Soul in stillness. Silent night.
Many of us, myself included, often default to an image of this night as calm, bright, peaceful, still; but how could it have been?
A teenage mother nearing the end of her pregnancy forced to leave her home, and her community of women, for a census. A young father trying to focus on the travel ahead, his mind filled with the words his friends have thrown at him about his bride.
A town overrun. Innkeepers and shopkeepers at wits end. Stables bursting at the seams.
Shepherds fighting the lure of sleep as the stars illumine their flock.
Anxiety. Anticipation. Doubt. Desperation.
Finally the town turns to sleep, the sheep too turn in; the lights are extinguished and beds turned down for weary travelers. Silence.
The young girl cries out as pain takes over. The angels collide with earth and bring forth their message. Silence?
For you alone my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.
That baby grows to be a man who teaches of a peace that can still us in the midst of storm. So, maybe, that is what happened on that holy night.
In those moments as Joseph ran through town begging for a place for his laboring wife; in those moments as Mary wondered why God wouldn’t allow her to give birth among her community; in those moments when the Savior of the world entered among hay and feed and livestock; in those moments as adrenaline propelled the shepherds towards the star; yes, somehow, in those moments there was silence and calm. In the midst of all of the frantic energy, a little baby boy entered the world.
In a world filled with the darkness of division and hatred and anger, a little baby boy entered in and light began to overcome, a silence suddenly overtook the noise.
Silent night, holy night. As we wait for the return of the Stable King, let us cling to the silence that is louder than the noise and the light that overcomes all darkness, for it is there we find hope to wait.
For you alone my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.