- Biblical Insights
- Song & Lyrics
- Rev Lenita Tiong: Our home would be filled with carols
- Dr Chong Siaw Fung: I caught the feeling of the angels singing
- Pr Moses Wan: Christmas tradition in a Kenyah village
‘Silent Night’ is such a familiar carol during Christmas, especially with the first stanza keeping us spellbound. We imagine the beautiful scene of the birth of Christ, when the baby is at peace and all is quiet.
What an awesome sight it must’ve been as glories streamed from Heaven afar. The angels were singing praises to God and declaring peace to men. However, this terrified the shepherds! The angel reassured them and told them not to be afraid.
This carol brings us the message that Jesus Christ is our Lord and the Son of God. His holiness and love is described as “love’s pure light”. The phrase “dawn of redeeming grace” helps us to understand that the grace of God reaches us through Christ – to save us from our sins and death.
The coming of Christ is also the arrival of God’s healing light. With Christ, came God’s abundant grace. In Christ, the grace of God appeared and offered salvation to all. Even then, only those who receive Jesus and believe in His name will be saved and be called the children of God.
We are reminded that God sent His only begotten Son to earth below. God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. When Jesus embraces mankind, we receive God’s reconciling love as He offers forgiveness to every prodigal sinner who has strayed away from His fatherly love.
Finally, ‘Silent Night’ closes with Jesus as God’s promise for peace. Through Jesus, we have peace with God, peace within us, and peace among ourselves. Mindful of mankind’s plight, God has acted decisively to free us all from our earthly woes and bring healing and peace where it is greatly needed.
What a precious gospel! What a precious birth! What precious peace we have been given!
What an awesome sight it must’ve been as glories streamed from Heaven afar. The angels were singing praises to God and declaring peace to men. However, this terrified the shepherds! The angel reassured them and told them not to be afraid.
This carol brings us the message that Jesus Christ is our Lord and the Son of God. His holiness and love is described as “love’s pure light”. The phrase “dawn of redeeming grace” helps us to understand that the grace of God reaches us through Christ – to save us from our sins and death.
The coming of Christ is also the arrival of God’s healing light. With Christ, came God’s abundant grace. In Christ, the grace of God appeared and offered salvation to all. Even then, only those who receive Jesus and believe in His name will be saved and be called the children of God.
We are reminded that God sent His only begotten Son to earth below. God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. When Jesus embraces mankind, we receive God’s reconciling love as He offers forgiveness to every prodigal sinner who has strayed away from His fatherly love.
Finally, ‘Silent Night’ closes with Jesus as God’s promise for peace. Through Jesus, we have peace with God, peace within us, and peace among ourselves. Mindful of mankind’s plight, God has acted decisively to free us all from our earthly woes and bring healing and peace where it is greatly needed.
What a precious gospel! What a precious birth! What precious peace we have been given!
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!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
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!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Rev Lenita TiongPastor
Faith Methodist Church Kuching
Faith Methodist Church Kuching
My memory of this carol goes back to my childhood. Weeks before Christmas, my father would take out his favourite LP Record by Jim Reeves and our home would be filled with the soothing voice of Jim Reeves singing all our favourite carols.
We would sing along at the top of our voices ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ and one of us girls would put a towel over our heads and pretend to be Mary with a wrapped doll in our arms. One of the brothers would be dragged in to be Joseph.
As I mature in my faith, I appreciate this carol as it encompasses all the essentials of the Christmas story – virgin mother, infant, shepherds trembling, angels singing, night and yet light, redemption, Saviour and King.
Christmas is not about shopping, food, presents or worse Santa Claus. Christmas is all about the birth of Christ our Saviour. Hence, we are to emphasise the doctrine of the incarnation and teach and explain the birth of Christ.
The Christmas story as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke must be repeated again and again as much as we sing carols over and over again. I would love to see the younger generations memorise the words of this carol more than the commercial songs of Santa Claus and snowman.
We would sing along at the top of our voices ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ and one of us girls would put a towel over our heads and pretend to be Mary with a wrapped doll in our arms. One of the brothers would be dragged in to be Joseph.
As I mature in my faith, I appreciate this carol as it encompasses all the essentials of the Christmas story – virgin mother, infant, shepherds trembling, angels singing, night and yet light, redemption, Saviour and King.
Christmas is not about shopping, food, presents or worse Santa Claus. Christmas is all about the birth of Christ our Saviour. Hence, we are to emphasise the doctrine of the incarnation and teach and explain the birth of Christ.
The Christmas story as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke must be repeated again and again as much as we sing carols over and over again. I would love to see the younger generations memorise the words of this carol more than the commercial songs of Santa Claus and snowman.
Dr Chong Siaw FungPrincipal
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia
Our church van arrived in a village in Manggatal district, around 10 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu. I was 16 years old and it was my first carolling experience after knowing Christ personally for two years.
Our task was to visit a traditional Chinese Hakka farmhouse. The owners were notified of our arrival between 11pm and 12am. That night, we were behind schedule and arrived at 1am. It was dark under the night sky and there were no lights in the house. The residents must have gone to bed.
We came down from the van quickly and quietly. We positioned ourselves in front of the house, and turned our songbook to ‘Silent Night’. At the signal of the leader, we sang the carol a cappella in Hakka, "Pin on ya, sin sen ya…”.
In the quietness of the night, the calm and harmonious melody of the carol filled the cool air with a sense of peace and sacredness. All of a sudden, I caught the feeling of the angels singing as they declared God’s glory on the night of Christ's birth.
As quickly and quietly as we came, we concluded the carol, delivered in unison our Christmas wish in Hakka, "We wish you a Merry Christmas!", and went back in the van and left. I was never certain whether the residents of that house heard our singing. But I had always imagined that the angels had joined us in singing ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ that night.
Our task was to visit a traditional Chinese Hakka farmhouse. The owners were notified of our arrival between 11pm and 12am. That night, we were behind schedule and arrived at 1am. It was dark under the night sky and there were no lights in the house. The residents must have gone to bed.
We came down from the van quickly and quietly. We positioned ourselves in front of the house, and turned our songbook to ‘Silent Night’. At the signal of the leader, we sang the carol a cappella in Hakka, "Pin on ya, sin sen ya…”.
In the quietness of the night, the calm and harmonious melody of the carol filled the cool air with a sense of peace and sacredness. All of a sudden, I caught the feeling of the angels singing as they declared God’s glory on the night of Christ's birth.
As quickly and quietly as we came, we concluded the carol, delivered in unison our Christmas wish in Hakka, "We wish you a Merry Christmas!", and went back in the van and left. I was never certain whether the residents of that house heard our singing. But I had always imagined that the angels had joined us in singing ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ that night.
Pr Moses WanExecutive Pastor
Hope Church KL
Hope Church KL
As a young boy, I looked forward to Christmas celebrations among the Kenyah community in Sarawak which I am a part of. On Christmas Eve, the whole village will work together to clean the church, decorate the tree and prepare food for the big celebration. In those days, we made our own Christmas trees by cutting down a pine tree.
One of my favourite Christmas carols is ‘Silent Night’ because it speaks about hope and the meaning of Christmas for believers. It has helped me to understand the theological truths about my faith as a young boy, and built a strong spiritual foundation for my later years.
My family has this tradition where we sing ‘Silent Night’ for 15 minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve. As we sing the carol, we will light up the candles. Without fail, the candles will burn the pine tree as we sing. The children would get excited seeing the fire and we would fellowship into the morning.
Today, I continue this spiritual tradition with my children, though in a modern context. Christmas is the best and a golden opportunity to impart godly values to the younger generation. Carols should continue to be sung because they help people draw closer to God; strengthening the bond between believers, and preaching the Gospel to pre-believers.
One of my favourite Christmas carols is ‘Silent Night’ because it speaks about hope and the meaning of Christmas for believers. It has helped me to understand the theological truths about my faith as a young boy, and built a strong spiritual foundation for my later years.
My family has this tradition where we sing ‘Silent Night’ for 15 minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve. As we sing the carol, we will light up the candles. Without fail, the candles will burn the pine tree as we sing. The children would get excited seeing the fire and we would fellowship into the morning.
Today, I continue this spiritual tradition with my children, though in a modern context. Christmas is the best and a golden opportunity to impart godly values to the younger generation. Carols should continue to be sung because they help people draw closer to God; strengthening the bond between believers, and preaching the Gospel to pre-believers.
‘Silent Night’ is such a familiar carol during Christmas, especially with the first stanza keeping us spellbound. We imagine the beautiful scene of the birth of Christ, when the baby is at peace and all is quiet.
What an awesome sight it must’ve been as glories streamed from Heaven afar. The angels were singing praises to God and declaring peace to men. However, this terrified the shepherds! The angel reassured them and told them not to be afraid.
This carol brings us the message that Jesus Christ is our Lord and the Son of God. His holiness and love is described as “love’s pure light”. The phrase “dawn of redeeming grace” helps us to understand that the grace of God reaches us through Christ – to save us from our sins and death.
The coming of Christ is also the arrival of God’s healing light. With Christ, came God’s abundant grace. In Christ, the grace of God appeared and offered salvation to all. Even then, only those who receive Jesus and believe in His name will be saved and be called the children of God.
We are reminded that God sent His only begotten Son to earth below. God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. When Jesus embraces mankind, we receive God’s reconciling love as He offers forgiveness to every prodigal sinner who has strayed away from His fatherly love.
Finally, ‘Silent Night’ closes with Jesus as God’s promise for peace. Through Jesus, we have peace with God, peace within us, and peace among ourselves. Mindful of mankind’s plight, God has acted decisively to free us all from our earthly woes and bring healing and peace where it is greatly needed.
What a precious gospel! What a precious birth! What precious peace we have been given!
What an awesome sight it must’ve been as glories streamed from Heaven afar. The angels were singing praises to God and declaring peace to men. However, this terrified the shepherds! The angel reassured them and told them not to be afraid.
This carol brings us the message that Jesus Christ is our Lord and the Son of God. His holiness and love is described as “love’s pure light”. The phrase “dawn of redeeming grace” helps us to understand that the grace of God reaches us through Christ – to save us from our sins and death.
The coming of Christ is also the arrival of God’s healing light. With Christ, came God’s abundant grace. In Christ, the grace of God appeared and offered salvation to all. Even then, only those who receive Jesus and believe in His name will be saved and be called the children of God.
We are reminded that God sent His only begotten Son to earth below. God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. When Jesus embraces mankind, we receive God’s reconciling love as He offers forgiveness to every prodigal sinner who has strayed away from His fatherly love.
Finally, ‘Silent Night’ closes with Jesus as God’s promise for peace. Through Jesus, we have peace with God, peace within us, and peace among ourselves. Mindful of mankind’s plight, God has acted decisively to free us all from our earthly woes and bring healing and peace where it is greatly needed.
What a precious gospel! What a precious birth! What precious peace we have been given!
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!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
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!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Rev Lenita TiongPastor, Faith Methodist Church Kuching
My memory of this carol goes back to my childhood. Weeks before Christmas, my father would take out his favourite LP Record by Jim Reeves and our home would be filled with the soothing voice of Jim Reeves singing all our favourite carols.
We would sing along at the top of our voices ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ and one of us girls would put a towel over our heads and pretend to be Mary with a wrapped doll in our arms. One of the brothers would be dragged in to be Joseph.
As I mature in my faith, I appreciate this carol as it encompasses all the essentials of the Christmas story – virgin mother, infant, shepherds trembling, angels singing, night and yet light, redemption, Saviour and King.
Christmas is not about shopping, food, presents or worse Santa Claus. Christmas is all about the birth of Christ our Saviour. Hence, we are to emphasise the doctrine of the incarnation and teach and explain the birth of Christ.
The Christmas story as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke must be repeated again and again as much as we sing carols over and over again. I would love to see the younger generations memorise the words of this carol more than the commercial songs of Santa Claus and snowman.
We would sing along at the top of our voices ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ and one of us girls would put a towel over our heads and pretend to be Mary with a wrapped doll in our arms. One of the brothers would be dragged in to be Joseph.
As I mature in my faith, I appreciate this carol as it encompasses all the essentials of the Christmas story – virgin mother, infant, shepherds trembling, angels singing, night and yet light, redemption, Saviour and King.
Christmas is not about shopping, food, presents or worse Santa Claus. Christmas is all about the birth of Christ our Saviour. Hence, we are to emphasise the doctrine of the incarnation and teach and explain the birth of Christ.
The Christmas story as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke must be repeated again and again as much as we sing carols over and over again. I would love to see the younger generations memorise the words of this carol more than the commercial songs of Santa Claus and snowman.
Dr Chong Siaw FungPrincipal
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia
Our church van arrived in a village in Manggatal district, around 10 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu. I was 16 years old and it was my first carolling experience after knowing Christ personally for two years.
Our task was to visit a traditional Chinese Hakka farmhouse. The owners were notified of our arrival between 11pm and 12am. That night, we were behind schedule and arrived at 1am. It was dark under the night sky and there were no lights in the house. The residents must have gone to bed.
We came down from the van quickly and quietly. We positioned ourselves in front of the house, and turned our songbook to ‘Silent Night’. At the signal of the leader, we sang the carol a cappella in Hakka, "Pin on ya, sin sen ya…”.
In the quietness of the night, the calm and harmonious melody of the carol filled the cool air with a sense of peace and sacredness. All of a sudden, I caught the feeling of the angels singing as they declared God’s glory on the night of Christ's birth.
As quickly and quietly as we came, we concluded the carol, delivered in unison our Christmas wish in Hakka, "We wish you a Merry Christmas!", and went back in the van and left. I was never certain whether the residents of that house heard our singing. But I had always imagined that the angels had joined us in singing ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ that night.
Our task was to visit a traditional Chinese Hakka farmhouse. The owners were notified of our arrival between 11pm and 12am. That night, we were behind schedule and arrived at 1am. It was dark under the night sky and there were no lights in the house. The residents must have gone to bed.
We came down from the van quickly and quietly. We positioned ourselves in front of the house, and turned our songbook to ‘Silent Night’. At the signal of the leader, we sang the carol a cappella in Hakka, "Pin on ya, sin sen ya…”.
In the quietness of the night, the calm and harmonious melody of the carol filled the cool air with a sense of peace and sacredness. All of a sudden, I caught the feeling of the angels singing as they declared God’s glory on the night of Christ's birth.
As quickly and quietly as we came, we concluded the carol, delivered in unison our Christmas wish in Hakka, "We wish you a Merry Christmas!", and went back in the van and left. I was never certain whether the residents of that house heard our singing. But I had always imagined that the angels had joined us in singing ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ that night.
Pr Moses WanExecutive Pastor
Hope Church KL
Hope Church KL
As a young boy, I looked forward to Christmas celebrations among the Kenyah community in Sarawak which I am a part of. On Christmas Eve, the whole village will work together to clean the church, decorate the tree and prepare food for the big celebration. In those days, we made our own Christmas trees by cutting down a pine tree.
One of my favourite Christmas carols is ‘Silent Night’ because it speaks about hope and the meaning of Christmas for believers. It has helped me to understand the theological truths about my faith as a young boy, and built a strong spiritual foundation for my later years.
My family has this tradition where we sing ‘Silent Night’ for 15 minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve. As we sing the carol, we will light up the candles. Without fail, the candles will burn the pine tree as we sing. The children would get excited seeing the fire and we would fellowship into the morning.
Today, I continue this spiritual tradition with my children, though in a modern context. Christmas is the best and a golden opportunity to impart godly values to the younger generation. Carols should continue to be sung because they help people draw closer to God; strengthening the bond between believers, and preaching the Gospel to pre-believers.
One of my favourite Christmas carols is ‘Silent Night’ because it speaks about hope and the meaning of Christmas for believers. It has helped me to understand the theological truths about my faith as a young boy, and built a strong spiritual foundation for my later years.
My family has this tradition where we sing ‘Silent Night’ for 15 minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve. As we sing the carol, we will light up the candles. Without fail, the candles will burn the pine tree as we sing. The children would get excited seeing the fire and we would fellowship into the morning.
Today, I continue this spiritual tradition with my children, though in a modern context. Christmas is the best and a golden opportunity to impart godly values to the younger generation. Carols should continue to be sung because they help people draw closer to God; strengthening the bond between believers, and preaching the Gospel to pre-believers.
Jesus, you are love’s pure light. You are God’s abundant grace which saves me from my sins and gives me salvation. Indeed, I am a child of God because of You.
O, Little Town of Big Meanings
Watch this video to gain a greater appreciation of God’s message for all humanity hidden in Jesus’ birthplace.
