200th Anniversary of Silent Night

A History of "Silent Night" Joseph Mohr was born in Salzburg, Austria, the home of Mozart and, later, of the Von Trapp singers—one of the most musical towns in the world. He became the priest of the parish church of Saint Nicholas in the nearby village of Oberndorf, and there he served alongside the organist and musician Franz Gruber, who was also a local schoolmaster.  As Christmas Eve of 1818 approached, Mohr and Gruber faced a challenge. The church organ wasn’t working properly (many believe that mice had chewed through the bellows!) and the two men labored over how to make their traditional service special.  Going through his papers, Mohr handed Gruber a poem he had written and asked him to set to music. If they couldn’t use the organ, they could at least introduce an original carol, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Mohr hastily composed a melody, and on a snowclad night in the Tyrolian Alps, December 24, 1818 – two hundred years ago – the population of little Oberndorf gathered in the Church of St. Nicholas to hear Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht for the first time. Later the organ repair man, Karl Mauracher, showed up and heard the story. Asking for a copy of the carol, he soon spread it through the Alpine region of Austria, where it came to the attention of families of local folk singers. Silent Night quickly gained fame across Europe. It was clear that there was something very special about this particular carol and it continues to serve as a beacon of truth for families and churches to this day.   -------------Originally shared by Keith and Kristin Getty Silent Night with Phil Keaggy

Advent 4 Slips into Christmas

Stir Up!

On the 4^th Sunday of Advent we heard the last of the “Stir Up” collects. 

This one was surely written for the impatient ones among us.

 It starts, “Stir up, O Lord, we beseech Thee, Thy power, 

and come and help us with Thy great might.”

 We cannot do this on our own.

 But, joy oh joy, we don’t have to! We have a Savior! 

If there were labeled packages underneath the Christmas tree 

each inhabitant in your home has checked to see which ones bore their name. 

Seasonal cards, emails, and phone calls

 have been arriving and our hearts are thrilled. 

This is a time for singing!

Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,

The Savior promised long;

Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne

And ev’ry voice a song.

He comes the pris’ners to release,

In Satan’s bondage held.

The gates of brass before Him burst,

The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,

The bleeding soul to cure,

And with the treasures of His grace

To enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosanas, Prince of Peace,

Thy welcome shall proclaim,

And heav’n’s eternal aches ring

With Thy beloved name.



"I love the inclusion of the liturgical year collects, graduals, 

and introits in the hymn book of my childhood 

(The Lutheran Hymnal published in 1941.)

 Three of the four Sundays in Advent begin with the words "Stir Up!" 

I told my children to listen for those words as a clue

 to the start of getting ready for Christmas, but in truth,

 they are a plea for God to stir us up for joy and service. 

Christmas is has come now.

 I remember going to a community celebration 

when the lights on the  tree in front of the courthouse were lit. 

The junior high band was there to play Christmas music 

and they played carols encouraging us to sing along. 

On about the third carol and friend nudged me 

and said, "You can tell who the Lutheran's are, 

they are the ones who know all of the verses for memory." 

Christmas music stirs us up with the joy of Christ."

Thank you to Natalie Hartwig 

for this Advent 4- (into Christmas Day)

reflection. 

Advent Three-With Praise

In Advent, Praise The God of Heaven!

For many chronologically blessed children of God,
 the Advent season contains days 
of sorrowful remembering. 
I think of my own father who entered 
God’s presence on December 3^rd.
 Five years later, also on December 3^rd,
 my sister got to heaven before me. 

She was younger than I was and should
 have waited her turn. 
Thinking of her, I remember 
going to Christmas concerts in which she sang. 

In the 1950’s and 60’s every
 St. Louis Lutheran Children’s Choir concert
began with 

“Let Us All with Gladsome Voice” 

as a candle light processional. 

The tune and meter are perfect for marching. 

There are times in Advent when we feel like

 we just have to keep on going, 

challenged to do so with joy and gladness,

 not drudgery and sadness. 

So try it, sing this hymn today 

as time marches on and you continue, 

with each day,

 to draw closer to Christmas.

Let us all with gladsome voice

Praise the God of heaven,

Who, to bid our hearts rejoice,

His own Son hath given.

To this vale of tears He comes,

Here to serve in sadness,

That with Him in Heav’n’s fair homes

We may reign in gladness.

We are rich, for He was poor,

Is not this a wonder?

Therefore praise God evermore

Here on earth and yonder.

Christ, our Lord and Savior dear,

Be Thou ever near us,

Grant us now a glad new year.

Amen, Jesus, hear us.

Thank you to contributing writer-
Natalie Hartwig- for this Advent devotion. 

Shirley and M.E.Sorenson- Feeding Farmville

Feeding Farmville -

 A Story from St. John's in Farmville, VA

Jumping the hurdles of racial discrimination 

and being an unknown church in the community were some of our challenges. Perhaps we were only known as a church that keeps to itself. We were struggling how to help others when the poverty level in the county is at the least 14% higher than the national average. This was the evaluation that St. John's Farmville faced 3 years ago and decided to "do something". Pastor Matt Sorenson inspired the congregation to look beyond their walls into the neighborhood. St. John's members developed a plan to organize a community-wide project to feed 500 neighbors a hot meal on Thanksgiving Day. 

These meals were delivered to the homes. 

Going out -2 by 2- the individuals took time to speak with and pray with the recipients. They let them know they were special to God by sharing His unconditional love.

This community-wide event know as Feeding Farmville was  organized and hosted by St. John's. But, we have reached out into our community for volunteers and financial support. This year we had over 300 volunteers (many pictured above) and 69 different organizations supporting us in various ways. This made it possible, with God's help, to serve 800 meals. What seemed like an impossible mission when we began, was not too big for God. Each year He has provided the volunteers and the finances we have needed.

The hardest part this year was having to turn away requests for meals because we reached our limit with the available food. The best part was to enjoy the atmosphere of neighbors serving neighbors because of the unconditional love of God we share.

This service project involved the Sorenson family, including  M.E. Sorenson from Prince of Peace- Springfield, Virginia.  She was a big help in many ways as the Distribution Team Leader on Thursday. She oversaw the food packing, the sorting for the drivers, and the loading right into their cars.  She has worked all 3 years.

A special thank you to Shirley L. Sorenson, Feeding Farmville 2018 Facilitator, 

for this wonderful story of Love In Action- 

right in the neighborhood.