The "Sigh" of Silent Night

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          Joseph Mohr was desperate. The church organ in the little village of Oberdorf was broken, and the young priest needed a carol for the Christmas Eve service. He had lyrics from a poem he'd written, but had no music for it. Choir director Franz Gruber stepped in, taking Mohr's lyrics and within mere hours, composed music for the beloved hymn we know today, Silent Night. On that quiet, winter eve, the melody of Stille Nacht rang out on guitar in the little village church. Imagine Mohr's sigh of relief as the worship service was salvaged. Ah, the "sigh" of Silent Night!     
        Mary and Joseph were desperate, too. Travel by donkey must have been long and arduous for a very pregnant Mary, upon arriving in Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay. But, imagine the sigh of relief that may have come from Mary and Joseph's lips as they reached the lone stable, where Mary would give birth to the Christ child. Ah, the "sigh" of that Silent Night!   
        Sometimes Christmas makes us feel desperate--or at least overwhelmed. We may sigh more out of frustration than relief. We tire of the commercialization, the lines, the traffic. Sigh. We fret over preparations, expectations. Sigh. We may feel sad or lonely when we think of Christmas' past and the loved ones who are no longer with us. Sigh.      
         Despite frustrations, when Christmas arrives, we likely let out a sigh of relief that the day has finally arrived. The sigh of the Silent Night of long ago comes to mind as we marvel that the Christ child came to earth for our salvation. We sigh in wonderment at the miracle of Jesus' birth on that Stille Nacht of over 2,000 years ago. The sigh of Silent Night--a beautiful sound!                                                               
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"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 
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