Silent Night

I watched as the last car pulled onto the street and now finally the parking lot was completely empty. Looking further out I could see just the slightest edge of the setting sun over the tops of the tree, and then it quickly disappeared from sight. Night-time was upon the city and with the view I had from the fourth floor window it looked to be another peaceful evening.

In 1985 I was fortunate to help with the building of a state of the art medical facility in Franklin, Tennessee. Actually, I didn’t have anything to do with the construction process I only oversaw the equipping and furnishing of it. For six months we worked night and day to insure every hospital bed and every piece of life-saving equipment was installed correctly and was in place. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine we put together such a beautiful hospital with less than 30 million dollars. Today the same facility would probably cost 130 million easy.

That night I stared out the window drenched in silence at the end of the Oncology wing. Long after the last group of local government dignitaries departed and the media personnel had packed up their cameras and headed home I was left all alone. I realized then, this would be the last Silent Night in this building. I thought wow, after all that’s gone into the making of this facility, all the hard work, the sacrificed time from family, the headache and heartache - here I was standing all alone in this building on the threshold of what was to come. I walked from one end to the other of each floor looking at how perfectly in place everything looked. I must admit as I looked over the building I felt a great sense of pride in all that had been accomplished by my staff, but I was saddened somehow at the thought that this would be the last time everything would look so “in order” as if that truly mattered. I knew there would never be a night (at least not in my life-time) this building would be completely silent again.

The next morning would start early as we transported a 150 or so patients with all their IV bags, tubes, oxygen hoses, and traction bars. Bed by bed, patient by patient, and nurse by nurse we made the transition from the old Williamson County Hospital to the new Williamson Medical Center over the next twenty-four hours. From the beautiful sounds of a Silent Night to the chaotic hustle and bustle of a new day - the transformation of life from one building to another took place, and all went well.

Strange as it may seem, yesterday for the first time in years, as the congregation sang Silent Night I thought of my eerily quite walk through that building long ago. Then my mind wandered to the thought of what a great silence it must have been some two thousand years ago. The biggest and brightest star hung in space shouting out in silence the arrival of the long awaited King. The sheppards slept silently after a long day of watchful grazing and herding. The Inn keeper lay quietly in his bed as his work was now complete - his last two hopeful patrons had been ushered outside to the animal stable to fend for themselves. A Silent Night of major proportions (for which our world has no evidence of since) most certainly took place on that historic and glorious night in Judea.

A long period of silence also led up to that miraculous event. For hundreds of years there had not been any new revelations or wisdom imparted from above, the “silent years” as it's sometimes referred. Can you imagine what it would be like now with all the folks that declare God speaks to them almost constantly, if He went nearly four-hundred years without speaking to His people? But for that time what had been written throughout the Old Testament was already enough. All the prophesies had been declared, and the signs to watch for had been told - a King was coming. To whom, and where was clearly known, but “when” was still a very big mystery. His characteristics had been described to a “T” yet little was understood. Details of His ministry had been spelled out time and time again, (even as far back as the ancient scripture of Isaiah and before) yet no one seemed to hold grasp to the real meaning of the title “Our Savior.” The world of believers looked out their equivalent of a fourth floor window that night in the mist of a hushed silence. They held onto expectations and anticipation of things to come, but they had little insight as to what to truly expect from the humblest of birthing rooms in Bethlehem.

The next morning began an era of earth-shattering noise that has lasted even until this day. It has only been interrupted briefly thirty-three years after His birth as his chin fell to his chest after the last painful breathe was exhausted. It was complete! Three days of loud cries of wondering, worrying and bewilderment was shouted down by the trumpets of triumph, for the grave no longer held control its captive. Henceforth the world has never stopped speaking His name in reverence and/or in curse. It has not ceased to debate His works, or more importantly His purpose. His life has become the most controversial subject in the history of all mankind, and has eliminated the possibility of yet another Silent Night occurring. Before returning to the Father He declared; go forth and tell the Good News to all - refuse to be silent ever again. This was His last commandment to all who choose to chase after Him. To be silent no more...

This morning as I silently dressed for work I glanced up at the printed copy of Michelangelo’s Creazione Di Adamo which hangs in my apartment. Two hands stretched forth in symbolism of the creation of Adam, and I imagined just how silent it must have been just before Man joined the living. Our planet was void of words, and voices, only the sounds of animals filled the winds. On the eve of God’s most complex creation I can imagine there must’ve been a great Silent Night. Some men say after the creation of woman there has never been silence again, but the truth is – men really wouldn’t have it any other way. A subject for another day I suppose… (my poor attempt at humor) I pray that your celebration of His birth is anything but silent this year. Go tell it on the mountain! Proclaim tidings of good cheer to all the World, or at least unto your community.

We were created to bring Him joy. His word tells us that if we don't praise Him the rocks will cry out themselves. We were redeemed through His sacrafice and we have been called to tell everyone about His magnificent grace. Yet, let us not forget to remember always the times of silence that came just before our Savior's birth and be encouraged in knowing that God’s love runs so deep, so very deep that He gave His only begotten for you and I.

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.

Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light; Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Merry Christmas my friends, doug