“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14)

One-hundred and sixty years ago, a 57-year-old widower and father of six picked up his pen and wrote his poem entitled I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. It started out with joy:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And mild and sweet
The songs repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

That last line was the anchor for his poem and was a quote from Luke 2:14, sung by the angels that very first Christmas. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Yet, his world and his country were anything but peaceful as he wrote his poem. The country was engaged in a war against itself.

John Henry Longfellow’s oldest son was battling a serious battle wound from the Civil War, which threatened to paralyze him. Just two years prior to this, Longfellow had lost his wife in an accidental fire. Christmas looked and felt different with such fighting and brokenness all around him. This dissonance in his heart poured out in the second to last verse of his poem. He wrote these words:
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!”

Yet, the last verse he penned is a reminder of an unvanquished hope and faith that served to sustain him. It was there in the manger. He wrote the conclusion to his poem with this powerful truth:
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.

Death couldn’t silence Christmas, hatred couldn’t chase it away. This darkened world couldn’t turn out the brightness of its star. Gloom and grief didn’t stop the heavens from erupting with a heavenly song. And not even the most powerful people on the earth could manipulate Christmas to be under their control.

Christmas came to us—Immanuel, God with us. So great is His love for you that no angel, no demon, no height or depth could keep Him away from you. And His promises are one hundred percent true. He never fails. At the cross, in grave, the wrong did fail, and the right did prevail in that Christmas Child, Jesus. Believe in Him, trust in His promises.

Treasure and ponder the Good News of Christmas in your heart, and say them out loud. Sing them even louder, and share them with all you see, and join together from wherever you are to bend the knee and worship the King born to us this day. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Prayer
Merry Christmas! We celebrate, Lord, this gift of Christmas that You have given to us. Again, You entered into a world that needed salvation, and You brought that salvation through that child given to us in that manger. We thank You and praise You, and we worship and adore You for Your salvation. And we celebrate it this Christmas. In Jesus’ name, Amen.