Luke 2:13-14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, good will among people”
As seems to happen every year near Christmas, the weather turns cold and wet, the sun shines less, and clouds and night reign in abundance. It is accompanied by illness, death, and people wondering what worse can happen. Wars rage and the innocent shiver in makeshift shelters, hunger is prevalent, and fear is traced on each face. My soul is sad, angry, confused. It is at this point I recall the words, “And in despair I bowed my head;/ ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;/ “For hate is strong, / And mocks song/Of peace on earth, good-will to men.”
These words were written on Christmas Day 1863 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was speaking from his heart. Two years earlier his wife had died in a horrific and accidental fire. His oldest son had recently joined the Union Army without Henry’s approval. Now his son has been severely wounded.
The Civil War and all its tragedy are reflected in his words (the ones we rarely sing): “Then from each black, accursed mouth/The cannon thundered in the South, /And with the sound/The carols drowned/Of peace on earth…” The next verse carries on the theme, “It was as if an earthquake rent/The hearthstones of a continent/And made forlorn/The households born/Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
It is Advent as I write. Wars and deaths and fear still fill our lives. As we look at ourselves, our world, and the chaos around us, instead of despair, we “Wait for the Lord!” Something new will break through all the gloom. God, through angels, announces that there will be peace and good-will on earth. It is with such hope that we await the coming of Christmas when we celebrate that “something new” in a baby, born in a manger, called Jesus.
Prayer: Today I pray for peace on earth. Shelter those who need to feel your presence. Thank you for hope in the promise of peace on earth and the reminder of Christ’s coming to us. Amen
Song: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow