I Need a Silent Night

Are you feeling a bit rushed and pressured from your Christmas schedule and "to do" list? I can relate. Every year the demands of Christmas activities, shopping, decorating, baking, and wrapping seem more and more overwhelming. My heart longs for the simplistic peace of Christmases of yesteryear. Today, I listened to the Amy Grant song, I Need a Silent Night. The lyrics voiced my feelings about Christmas. All of the activities that barter for our time and attention are not worthy of either.

Christmas - the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - is not about Christmas parties and cookies and presents. God wants us to find that silent night, to sit and read His Word or to have a heart to heart time of prayer with Him. He longs to hear our voices sing out our praises for Him. He longs for us to eliminate stress associated with His Celebration - Christmas. God wants us hear His voice through the chaos of the season, created by man but just easily eradicated by man. It is our choice to decide on what is truly meaningful to the celebration of Christmas and to grasp those traditions and dismiss and disregard all of the others.

LYRICS:

I've made the same mistake before
Too many malls, too many stores
December traffic, Christmas rush
It breaks me till I push and shove

Children are crying while mothers are trying
To photograph Santa and sleigh
The shopping and buying and standing forever in line
What can I say?

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night

December comes then disappears
Faster and faster every year
Did my own mother keep this pace
Or was the world a different place?

Where people stayed home wishing for snow
Watching three channels on their TV
Look at us now rushing around
Trying to buy Christmas peace

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night

What was it like back there in Bethlehem
With peace on earth, good will toward men?
Every shepherd's out in the field
Keeping watch over their clock by night

And the glory of the Lord shone around them
And they were so afraid
And the angels said fear not for behold
I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all people
For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
To end this crazy day with a silent night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OowjEFrSWfs