One Quiet Moment

A few years ago I wrote a Christmas song for GLAD (my previous musical life) that reflected on Joseph and Mary’s humble submission in accepting their part in God’s plan of salvation. Hard to imagine the difficulty of that decision. But so grateful to God that they responded.

The music seems a little dated to me now, but the truth of the lyrics still affects me. At the end, you can listen to/download the song.

One Quiet Moment

One quiet moment, on a star-clustered night,
Two weary travelers knew an end was in sight;
So the soon-to-be mother, grasped her husband’s strong hand,
And paused to remember where the journey began.

Nine months of yearning filled with joy and with pain;
He almost had left her, but then chose to remain
Close by the woman he had not even kissed,
Who would bear him a son that would never be his.

And in one quiet moment, a woman and man
Accepted the part they would have in God’s plan;
To give up His glory, and be born as a man.
In one quiet moment.

They dreamed of the times they would spend with their son,
Taking trips through the hillsides and watching Him run.
And some days the fingers that had fashioned the stars,
Would reach out to hold them when the walk was too far.

They wrestled with knowing that His life would bring change;
Their friends would grow distant, and shun them as strange.
Though they tried not to think it, in their hearts they were sure,
That their baby was destined to die for the world.

And in one quiet moment, a woman and man
Accepted the part they would have in God’s plan;
To give up His glory, and be born as a man.
In one quiet moment, one quiet moment.

And in one quiet moment they could suddenly hear
Thousands of angels singing so clear;
“Glory to God, His Salvation is near!”
In this one quiet moment
In this one quiet moment
One quiet moment.

You can listen to/download the song here. If you’re into a capella music, you can order the whole CD from GLAD’s online store. And if you’re interested in another Christmas song I wrote for GLAD, check out In the First Light.

35 Responses to One Quiet Moment

  1. Daniel J. Mount December 26, 2009 at 3:52 PM #

    I have a few GLAD projects, but had never heard this forgotten gem. Thank you for bringing it back!

  2. Jonathan December 28, 2009 at 9:39 AM #

    Great message!

    Yes, “In the First Light” has become one of my favorite songs as of late. “Hear the angels as they’re singing on the morning of His birth; but how much greater will our song be when He comes to rule the earth.” Oh, the joy that floods my heart as I consider this!

  3. TroyP December 28, 2009 at 6:01 PM #

    Great Stuff! So what if it’s a little dated. So is all that stuff by Ella What’s-her-name, but I still love it. :-)

    May I also add recommendations for my favorites:
    Glory To God
    Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow.

  4. Holly Carr January 1, 2010 at 10:51 AM #

    I always loved this song. So GLAD you reminded me of it!

  5. David Eaton January 1, 2010 at 6:17 PM #

    I had no idea that you had written that song. Our choir has frequently sung this during the Christmas season and it is one of my favorites!

  6. Randy Anglin September 2, 2010 at 8:30 PM #

    Never once have I thought that this song was dated!
    Instead, I think it’s a Glad “classic”. The song truly humbles me with it’s powerful lyrics. And the music is anointed and the melody just beautiful. “In The First Light”, of course is truly amazing, but I’ve always considered “One Quiet Moment” as one of the finest things Glad ever recorded as well!

  7. Kirk Bates December 25, 2010 at 8:31 PM #

    I heard just the end of the song being played on a Christian radio station in western Kansas and had to search the web to find you. This is the most beautiful song I’ve heard in years!! I had a horn/rock group, based in southern California for over 20 years and, when I had the voices, would do 4 Freshmen charts as a change of pace. Your voicing is wonderful, thanks!! Krik

  8. Tim Elliott November 23, 2012 at 11:18 PM #

    Bob, is there anywhere I can go to get the score for One Quiet Moment? I have listened to the Glad recording and love the song and the arrangement. I found an abbreviated arrangement by Tom Fetke (sp) but I would love to have the whole song as written. Your help would be appreciated.

    • Bob Kauflin November 24, 2012 at 1:19 AM #

      Tim, I’ll see if I can dig up a copy. I know I must have it somewhere. Thanks for asking.

  9. Carey Dietert November 25, 2012 at 4:36 AM #

    Bob, I requested and received a vocal chart for “One Quiet Moment” many years ago, and was just trotting it out for a solo rendition for this year’s Christmas season. My pianist is capable of taking the vocal score and reading / playing the voices on piano, but it would be so much simpler if there was a piano accompaniment / reduction of the vocal score. You wouldn’t happen to have anything like that, would you?

    If you can’t find the score for Tim, let me know and I can easily scan it and send it. Oh, and there is nothing dated about such a classic work of art that so effectively delivers an incredibly poignant message! The story this song tells delivers on the absolute wonder of the Christmas story in ways that I’ve never heard. I feel blessed to have it in my repertoire! Thank you for such a beautiful message!

  10. Paul December 11, 2012 at 1:46 AM #

    I’d like to purchase sheet music for ‘One Quiet Moment’, to sing as a solo. Is it available online, or elsewhere?

    • Bob Kauflin December 11, 2012 at 1:51 AM #

      Paul, not that I’m aware of. But I’m getting numerous requests for it, so I may have to write one up. You might check out http://www.glad-pro.com

  11. Tom Waraksa December 13, 2012 at 6:27 PM #

    I presented the song in Flint Michigan not long after you had written it it is a fabulous Christmas song and my favorite of all time thanks for sharing your talent Merry Christmas

  12. Tina December 18, 2012 at 11:29 PM #

    Years ago when I first heard this song, it became MY Christmas song. It touched my heart as a young mother, thinking about the humanity of the infant, the toddler, and the little boy, Jesus, my Savior and Creator. Such a common human event, yet that is miraculous!

  13. karen December 24, 2012 at 2:45 PM #

    I would like to get the sheet music for this, as well. I’m trying to do it on the piano. This is the such a beautiful song and do not at all feel like it is dated, either.

    • Bob Kauflin December 24, 2012 at 2:57 PM #

      No piano music yet, but we’ll see what we can do!

  14. Dilene (Dila) Menezes June 9, 2013 at 1:33 PM #

    I was SURE this song was yours! Glad was the very first American Christian band I fell in love with (King College, Bristol TN, in 1981), and I still have loads of Glad on mp3 and listen to it all, here in Recife, Brazil. But this am, as I stayed behind to prepare Sunday dinner and my family went to church, God spoke strongly to me about the price Mary and Joseph payed for the glory of birthing and raising the Lord. Tears, tears, tears. Thank you!. I´ve already contacted our kids choir director to suggest this year´s Christmas concert be baesd on this song. God bless you!!

  15. Daniel Barr November 27, 2013 at 10:11 AM #

    Just wondering if there’s any update on the sheet music? Would love to use this song at our Christmas service this year!

    • Bob Kauflin November 27, 2013 at 5:19 PM #

      Hi, Daniel. I’m sorry, but I’m not aware of any. I’d love to transcribe it for you, but I won’t have the time. Hope you find someone who can!

  16. sheri durbin December 12, 2013 at 12:42 PM #

    A song I would play all year because the words speak to me so is ‘Joy to the World’, words suggestive of the Second Coming. It is not dated ( to me) at all.

    This song, ‘One Quiet Moment’, has ministered to me, I’ve played it over and over, and over, soaking in the blessing. It melts me, relieves stress, and I must say it again, it blesses me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    I must also agree re: ‘In the First Light’, listening to these songs I must thank God for giving you a gift that you so kindly shared.

  17. Kathy December 15, 2013 at 2:41 PM #

    I would also pay to have a copy of this song for piano or guitar. I love the words and the music as it is and do not really see a need to update it. Is there an accompaniment cd that could be used to sing it too if not sheet music?

    • Bob Kauflin December 16, 2013 at 10:35 AM #

      Kathy, thanks for your encouraging words. As far as I know an accompaniment CD isn’t available, but I’d try a Google search.

  18. Terri Davis Schmidt December 3, 2014 at 12:23 PM #

    I don’t think it’s dated at all; a beautiful song to take down through the ages. I’ve loved it since I first heard it so many years ago.

  19. Matt McBride December 7, 2015 at 1:21 PM #

    I have a two year old grandson who likes to say to me,”Papa, hand”? As he reaches out to take me somewhere. It’s the greatest thing in all the world. But I heard GLAD sing “And some days the fingers that had fashioned the stars,Would reach out to hold them when the walk was too far.” I realized what an incredible image of how far God had come to bring us His plan of salvation! Tears stream down my cheeks!

  20. Lynn Hamilton December 13, 2016 at 11:38 AM #

    Thank you so much for this song! I so appreciate your music. Yours has been my favorite music group for many years. Blessings on you.

  21. Robert Larrabee October 14, 2019 at 5:08 PM #

    I am a solo artist (part time) and have loved this song since I first heard it 20 years ago. Do you have guitar chords for this song? I would love to be able to add it to my Christmas play list but I must admit I am a novice guitar player limited to a few chords and can’t seem to figure out the chord progressions in the song.

    • Bob Kauflin October 15, 2019 at 9:17 AM #

      Thanks for asking, Robert. I don’t have a chord chart, but may get to it this Christmas!

  22. Greg Ciesluk December 6, 2019 at 7:13 PM #

    How do I get sheet music for this song? Or an accompaniment track

    • Bob Kauflin December 10, 2019 at 5:33 PM #

      Greg, unfortunately, it doesn’t exist at this point. At least, not that I’m aware of!

  23. Greg Ciesluk December 10, 2019 at 5:46 PM #

    I do have sheet music from the GLAD days that I acquired several years ago. My accompanist can probably turn it into an accompaniment for me. It is such an amazing song. Thanks for writing it.

  24. Stephanie Duffney November 14, 2022 at 9:58 PM #

    I absolutely love this song. Jennifer Lamountain sings an arrangement of it and I would love to introduce it to my church. It looks like there was sheet music available that is out of print. Is there any way to get a copy? I have a Fettke duet version missing most of the verses – my organist could work with it but I would love to have the full version.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. The 12 Gifts of Christmas, #10- Mary and Joseph « 141 plus - December 23, 2011

    […] my head and I realized I could never paint the picture of their emotional journey better than Bob Kauflin already did when he wrote One Quiet Moment. One quiet moment, on a star-clustered night, Two weary […]

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