If I asked you who Mohr and Gruber were, would you be stumped?

Astute readers might recognize them as two patron saints, near and dear to Middleton Outreach Ministry, who provide for the homeless. Others might identify them as the 19th century authors of "Silent Night," that most beloved of Christmas carols.

You'd be right on both counts.

Let me tie together the two Mohrs and Grubers, as I reflect on Christmases past and look forward to the New Year. Herein I draw from other sources, including Charles Colson, whose December 25, 2002, syndicated Breakpoint commentary I have adapted.

The contemporary Mr. Mohr, simply known as Hasan, is a Muslim who works tirelessly out of three churches and the Hospitality House (116 W. Washington) on behalf of the homeless and imminently homeless who need shelter. He will be featured next month as the poster boy to raise funds countywide, so that all homeless services providers, including MOM, can continue this good work.

The contemporary Mr. Gruber, first name Paul, is the former "All-Everything" offensive tackle who played for the UW Badgers (1985-88) and Tampa Bay Bucs (1989-2000). Gruber owns the building that houses MOM; by his generosity this homeless service provider has affordable housing (at 7432 Hubbard Avenue)!

Now look back two centuries to when a Mohr named Josef and a Gruber named Franz made music and history together. The circumstances surrounding "Silent Night" offer a valuable lesson about trusting God to meet our needs when a blessed day turns into a bitter, silent night.

The setting for this lesson begins December 23, 1818, in Oberndorf, a tiny Austrian village near Salzburg. The new village priest, 26-year-old Josef Mohr, faced a real crisis. The church organ had broken down, and the repairman could not arrive 'til after Christmas.

As Evelyn Bence recounts in her book, Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns, "As planned and practiced, the music for the Christmas Eve service fell apart if the organ fell silent. The service-the liturgical highlight of the winter-was in shambles. What to do now?"

Mohr had just 24 hours to solve this crisis. But that night, he decided to set aside his burden for a few hours, to attend a Nativity pageant hosted by a neighboring town.

The amateur actors who reenacted the simple Christmas story deeply inspired the young pastor. Afterward, Mohr hiked into the hills overlooking Oberndorf. Observing the lights of the village slumbering below, words began to fill his mind, poetic words which began: "Silent night, holy night; All is calm, all is bright."

Mohr quickly made his way home and, working by lamplight, wrote three stanzas to a hymn he entitled, Stille Nacht. The next morning, he showed the poem to Franz Gruber, the church organist. Gruber quickly composed a melody with an arrangement suitable for guitar. (Remember, the organ was broken).

Henry Gariepy picks up this story in his book, Songs in the Night: "Mohr and Gruber sang their hymn that Christmas Eve to the accompaniment of Gruber's guitar and a choir of young girls…. Little could the simple worshippers imagine the miracle of song taking place… that night. It was reminiscent of a birth, centuries before, that also took place in the humblest of villages, ultimately to have an impact upon the whole world."

The organ repairman, upon first hearing "Silent Night," was so impressed that he asked for a copy to spread throughout neighboring villages. Folksingers then carried "Silent Night" across Austria's borders, overseas and beyond.

The broken organ that had caused so much anxiety led directly to the creation of a most beloved Christmas carol. It's a reminder that God is there, and He is not silent. When things break down or fall short-as they do for many MOM clients and staff and volunteers-we are reminded that God will still supply our every need according to His glorious riches. Or, in the words of the hymn, "Glories stream from heaven afar."

Those riches include classic Christmas music when the organ breaks down. Those riches also include food and rent subsidies when your employer closes the door. As well the resources MOM will need when end-of-the-year indicators point to a slowdown in donations and cutbacks in our staffing. And most fully, we enjoy God's Riches At Christ's Expense, otherwise known as grace.

Will you trust God to meet your needs by grace-even when a marriage breaks down, a child's healing is delayed, a landlord evicts you, the economy grinds to a halt, or the music falls strangely silent?

Jacob Mohr and Franz Gruber trusted God, as evident in their last-minute hymn that glorified the "holy infant, so tender and mild."

Hasan Mohr and Paul Gruber trust God, as is evident from their continued support of people and ministries in need of a home.

God's answer to cries for help in the New Year may be "Yes" or "No" or "Wait!" But God is never silent or late. He is there, transforming our dark nights and old year "with the dawn of redeeming grace." Amen.

© 2003 Middleton Outreach Ministry

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