Not So Silent

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…

One of the reasons this hymn is so popular is because it paints an image of a “perfect” Christmas. It is the kind of Christmas we all say we want but often never get.

We all know the reality of Christmas is far from perfect. Children who get up at the crack of dawn are cranky by 10 a.m. In receiving guests you quickly realize you forgot a gift and go rushing to the bedroom looking for something that looks new and can be disguised behind wrapping paper. After all those guests are gone, the sink is piled high with dirty dishes. And the worst, the toy does not fit together the way explained in the instructions. Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright . . .

The good news is that Christmas does not need to be perfect to be Christmas. God does not wait around until our lives are perfect to give us the gift of Christmas. The gift of Christmas comes regardless of and in the very midst of our imperfect, incomplete, and disordered life. Casseroles burn. A not so friendly game of family feud erupts. Perfectly decorated and cleaned homes look like war zones after all the presents are unwrapped. A baby is still born.

On that first Christmas morning, it is anything but calm. Bethlehem is overcrowded. Israel is being occupied by an outside force whose version of peace was ushered in through military oppression. The city is in an uproar. The people are anxious and fearful. A baby will be born regardless of the housing conditions. Shepherds leave their flocks and search through the chaos for a newborn.

We seek God through the special, the peaceful, and the calmly prepared moments. Instead God comes to us in the ordinary distractions of life. God comes to us in the busyness. God comes in the midst of our struggles. God comes in the midst of our mistakes. Life is not perfect. Christmas is not perfect. But peace is announced and a baby is born. This Christmas may not be silent, but it can still be holy.


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