LUKE 2:8-11 – “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
THEME OF THE DAY: I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY. Today’s nugget theme is a familiar song. It will be sung throughout the land this Christmas season. Its history is thought-provoking. Written at Christmas in 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the verses go deep into the heart of anyone who would take time to ponder their deep meaning.
At the age of eighteen, Longfellow’s oldest son Charles ran away from home to join the Union Army. It was a time of national chaos as the Civil War was tearing the nation apart. Charles eventually received his father’s permission to join. In March 1863, Charles was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Massachusetts Calvary. During his service, he had many close calls. He suffered typhoid fever and was severely wounded when he was shot through his left shoulder in the battle of Mine Run. The bullet came close to bringing Charles to a state of paralysis. His recovery was not assured and would take six months.
It was against this backdrop of personal and national pain that Longfellow sat alone on Christmas Day 1864. He was a 57-year-old widowed father of six with his eldest son still healing from near-paralysis. He heard the bells of Cambridge ring out their yearly message of “peace on earth, good will to men,” but the words seemed to mock the reality of his world. Yet as he listened, the poet’s heart was stirred. The following verses brought hope instead of despair . . .
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 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.”
Christian, the world is dark as Longfellow observed in his time, but light shines brightest in the dark. There is hope. Christ is born. There is hope. God draws near. There is hope. Christmas leads to a cross to an empty tomb, and the sure hope of a better time and world is coming. Rejoice. The Prince of Peace has come!
PRAYER: Lord, though all I see is dark and despairing times, thank You that by faith, I see beyond the seen.
REFLECTION: Don’t let what we see and feel blanket the hope of Christmas by the coming of our Lord Jesus.