For me, yesterday, November 26, marked the official start of the Christmas season. Thanksgiving has been celebrated and while people have been Christmas shopping since August , the black Friday sales, still prompted people to wait in long lines to get those deals. There is a “hustle & bustle” in the air as Christmas music and Hallmark movies hit the airwaves. The Christmas Season has arrived.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” The song is does not get a lot of air time, and wasn’t sung a lot in church, but the message of the song resonates with me; causing hope to rise in my spirit.
Originally a poem, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863, Christmas Bells tells of his struggle during a dark time in our nation’s history. After losing his wife to fire and nursing his son back to health after an injury sustained during a Civil War battle, Longfellow could not find much Christmas spirit. The joy and peace the Holiday should bring were lost in his circumstances.
Christmas Bells
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said; "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men."
We too are living in a time when hope seems to be lost. Human kindness has become a bit of an anomaly. We are bombarded on every side by political and social rhetoric. We repeatedly hear of discord and unrest in the world around us.
Most would say Longfellow was right. There is no peace on earth. However, like Longfellow, we might need a reminder – a reset if you will – to remember what Christmas is all about.
Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah, wrote, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
This message of hope and encouragement was written for a people who had lost their way. They had spiritually wandered far from God and were facing a “new normal” of their own making. Caught up in a power struggle between neighboring countries, many of the Israelites were facing captivity (prisoners of war) and the destruction of their homes.
"And in despair I bowed my head; 'There is no peace on earth,' I said; For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
History tells us that the “new normal” state is not really “new” at all. Since the beginning of time, there have been seasons of change that have swept through pointing people back to their creator. Talk about a great reset. Jesus came to be that for all of mankind.
He came to be our Prince of Peace, our Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, and Everlasting Father. He came to bring us hope.
Hope not in our government, but in His government where justice and mercy walk hand in hand.
Hope that His is our Mighty God and that nothing is impossible for Him.
Hope that He is our Everlasting Father and has chosen us to be his sons and daughters.
Hope in the peace that only He can provide. Not peace that comes and goes depending on our circumstances, but the Peace that passes all understanding. Peace that is so deep in our spirits that the storms of life cannot affect it.
"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men."
Longfellow’s poem was set to music in 1872. The two middle stanza’s were left out of the song. Over the years it has been recorded by Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and many others. In 2008 Casting Crowns released their version of the song; introducing it to a new generation.
Christmas is a great time to remember exactly what the birth of Jesus was meant to accomplish. Regardless of what is going on around us, it’s important to remember what Jesus came to do in us and through us. As you go about your activities this Christmas season, remember the message of the Bells and share the Good News of Jesus.
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