Ah! Christmas! It’s a magical time
when lights and decorations turn the common into breathtaking displays. Hearts
are more open to give. Family and
friends come together to celebrate, and music envelops us with the sweet
melodies of Christmas. But the true message of Christmas is that which speaks
of Jesus’ birth, and of “peace on earth, good will to men.”
“Peace on earth.” Those simple words of hope seem to be a stark
contrast to the turmoil, hatred and rebellion prevalent in our world
today. Even our Christmas cheer cannot
block out the reality of evil and turmoil all around us. How can we reconcile such disharmony with the
message God sent us? How can the two fit
together?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was also
conflicted with the seeming inconsistency of peace in such a troubled
world. He had felt the knife of sorrow
cut through his heart when his wife of 18 years died in a fire. Shortly thereafter, his son Charles joined
the Union Army during the Civil War without his father’s blessing. Charles was soon promoted to Lieutenant and
was severely wounded in the Battle of New Hope Church in Virginia. His recovery was long and his days as a
soldier ended.
Longfellow had experienced death,
heartache and war up close. He could not deny their existence. On Christmas Day
in 1863, he wrote a poem called “Christmas Bells.” It reveals his struggle with the idea of
“peace on earth, good-will to men.” We know his poem better as the song “I
Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”
“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!”
Yes. That is the message of peace
and good will God echoed throughout the world that first Christmas night. He reached down into a sin-cursed world that
was in chaos, and He joyously, boldly spoke of peace. Peace that would once again join us together
with Him. God’s peace is not a temporary peace that is frail and can be easily
shattered by circumstances. It is an
enduring, consistent peace that remains intact within us regardless of
circumstances. It is a union of our
hearts with God’s heart. Peace with God
is the longing of every soul whether we realize it or not. And God made it possible. His peace is the most beautiful, lasting
peace we could ever possess. Nothing can
take it from us, because it lies within us.
The bells rang out ‘wild and
sweet’as a reminder of the angels’ vibrant message to us on that first
Christmas when they announced the birth of God’s Son, Emmanuel, God with us,
our Savior, Messiah, Lord and King. All
seemed right with the world that night in Bethlehem.
“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!”
Longfellow knew well the pain and
turmoil that still remained in the world.
We know it, too. We see it on a
daily basis and groan under the effects of this sin-sick society. Jesus knows it, too. He knows the pull of this world against His
peace. His invitation for us is to
persevere through the trials of this world with His peace in our hearts. It is born of and increased through our
connection to Him. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world.” His peace doesn’t
necessarily remove the turmoil of the world, but the turmoil in our
hearts. It allows us to live on a higher
plane in the midst of chaos.
“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!”
Somehow, the message of the bells,
the message of the angels, was more persistent, more prevalent, more compelling
than the chaos around them. The message
of peace, even in its tranquility and stillness was louder. It rose up and prevailed against everything
evil, everything that would try to silence it.
Peace may be resisted, but it cannot be vanquished or conquered. The peace Jesus promised rises up in the
middle of turmoil and dispels it. It
persists and prevails over every wrong. It is not fragile, but is a strong,
indomitable peace. It proves the good
will God has toward us in spite of our defiance of Him.
Jesus
said,“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.” Receive that peace. Jesus offers it freely to us that it may be
alive
within us here and now. And at the end
of this world’s order, peace will reign uncontested in a new heaven and
earth. All sin, fear, disease and evil
with be annihilated. There will be no
more chaos, no more hatred, no more rebellion, no more tribulation. Finally peace will reign within and without.
The message of
Christmas remains as true now as it ever was.
“The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”
