Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men
I love Christmas carols. Especially the traditional ones. But even the newer, and yes, less spiritual, carols have a way of putting a smile on my face. One traditional Christmas carol that I haven’t been very familiar with is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” (link below)
These days, unless you live near an older church, we don’t often hear church bells. Still, the purpose of church bells is to provide a call to worship. And on Christmas day, particularly, they are a call to worship Christ the King who has come into our world to save us. A reminder of what we celebrate and, as the song says over and over, “Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
The words to this carol were originally a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Known as one of America’s greatest writers, Longfellow lived in a difficult time and experienced personal tragedy. The poem was written in 1864 at the peak of the Civil War. Unquestionably, one of the worst times in American history. A country being torn apart over the horrors of slavery and a war in which Longfellow’s son was severely injured.
Not long before the writing, Longfellow’s wife, Fanny, died. In an accident in 1861 at the Longfellow's Cambridge home, Fanny's gauzy clothing caught fire and she was enveloped in flames. She died the next day. So, this poem was written by a man familiar with difficulty and tragedy. Yet the song’s repeated message is one of hope because of what Christ has done, “peace on earth, good-will to men!” But the message does not come without some internal struggle. Longfellow writes:
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!"
With all that is happening in our world it may be easy to despair at what we see. We can begin to believe that things are out of control. That all is lost. Or perhaps it is personal tragedy and difficulty that cause us to despair. “Where is God?”, we ask. But Longfellow’s poem is not complete:
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."
Regardless of how dire our situation, whether personal or in our world, our God is the God of hope. He brings peace and goodwill. The hope that God provides is greater than the worst that this world offers. The bells’ singing “Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" are louder than the voices that shout that there is no hope.
Paul the Apostle speaks of this hope when he writes, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13) God is the God of hope because He brings hope to us. In the context of the book of Romans, this “hope” comes because God has brought about our salvation through His promise to us. Paul quotes Isaiah saying:
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
in him the Gentiles will hope” (Rom 5:12, Isa 11:10)
The book of Romans makes it clear that God’s plan was, and is, to bring all people back to Him. “One who will arise to rule over the nations.” Both Jew and gentile. In other words, the Jews, the nation of Israel, and everyone else. This promise of “hope” is for all of us. What’s more, Paul is giving a prayer of blessing for those who believe. Paul asks that we be filled by God with joy and peace. As a result, we will have hope that is overflowing with the help of the Holy Spirit.
There’s one phrase Paul uses in these verses that jumps out at me every time I see it. Maybe you noticed it too, but I think it is often overlooked. “As you trust”, he says. Of course, these words weren’t originally written in English. So, the word “trust” can also be translated as “believe.” In fact, sometimes it is translated that way.
This “believe” is more than an intellectual, or head, knowledge. It is more than an understanding of the facts. The implication is that actions follow this belief. Trusting. I may believe that there isn’t a car coming. When I step into the street, that’s when I trust. You see, then, the implication. God gives us peace and joy as we trust, then we will be overflowing with hope.
Christmas overflows with the proclamation of hope. Yes, if we allow it, the hope of Christmas can be pushed aside by commercialism, busyness, and stress. Or, like Longfellow, the despair of world events or personal difficulty can threaten our hope. But when we trust, God fills us with peace and joy, and then, we will have hope that overflows. The hope overflows so that it impacts all we do and everything we say.
So will you listen for the bells. You may not hear them physically in your ears, but picture them, imagine them. Do you hear them? They’re ringing “more loud and deep” than anything else. Hear them singing, “peace on earth, good-will to men!”
(1) I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day