Silent Night
“Silent night, holy night” Can you picture it? A quiet world. Shepherds in the night, their flock resting under the stars. A stable full of animals silenced by the birth of their Creator. Mary and Joseph with their warm smiles as they swaddle baby Jesus in their arms. This doesn’t look like most of our Christmases, but I bet you it didn’t look like the first Christmas either. I imagine those shepherds weren’t so quiet nor their bleating sheep—even before the heavenly host showed up, declaring the birth of the Messiah and belting out praise. I’m sure Mary used her voice during labor and the animals around her did too. And what about the rest of Bethlehem? Going about the hustle and bustle of their daily lives even at its end. Not to mention the displacement and chaos of so many people traveling for the census. Jesus was born into a world just as loud as our own, and yet he was still born into “heavenly peace.” He was born into rest and quiet in the mid...
