Advent | Peace

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I have heard that stanza many times, in many different forms. It’s the idea of the Christmas season bringing with it the reminder of peace and goodwill. That, even if for a moment, humanity can be at peace. It's an excellent thought. It's a beautiful phrase to print inside Christmas cards, sing in melodies, and provide the warm feelings that come with Christmas. That is, if you don't know the history or read the rest of Longfellow's poem. 

For the next couple of stanzas, Longfellow describes the sights, sounds, and brutality of the Civil War that had engulfed the nation. Not to mention the personal tragedy Longfellow experienced just a couple of years beforehand, losing his wife in a horrific accident. It's no wonder why later in the poem, he 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, goodwill to men!

The reality is, most of us - all of us can relate to the latter stanza, much more than the former. We don't need to be educated on how disparity feels. We have all experienced moments, maybe even now, when it feels as if the chaos, the disparity, and the hate drowns out any hope or thought of peace. And as we reflect on the past year, the disorder is loud. The division is palpable. The hatred is strong. 

We don't need to be educated on how disparity feels. We have all experienced moments, maybe even now, when it feels as if the chaos, the disparity, and the hate drowns out any hope or thought of peace.

Some scholars have said that Advent is not for the faint of heart. Fleming Rutledge wrote of Advent that, "To grasp the depth of the human predicament, one has to be willing to enter into the very worst." A large part of the Advent season is a call to look into our darkness and depravity to realize our need for rescue. 

What if, after the grief of death and the pains of war, Longfellow had concluded that what he felt was right, "There is no peace on earth”? Maybe you would even agree. The despair is too heavy—the darkness, too intense. And, in some ways, you would be correct. 

Even though the darkness is real and prevalent around us and in us, we have the opportunity to cling to, to proclaim peace.

But, as Isaiah prophesied, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." (Is. 9:2) The reality is that even in the darkness, there was One who came—pursuing us, the lost, to bring peace. Even though the darkness is real and prevalent around us and in us, we have the opportunity to cling to, to proclaim peace. It is this peace to which Longfellow clung and ended his poem:

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, goodwill to men.

So, as we begin the season of reflection, thanksgiving, and preparation, where is your heart? Are you consumed by the darkness around or within? Or are you holding fast the truth that even when the chaos is loud, the bells have rung and still ring louder? The bells that sing of God's victory, peace, and hope. Believer, we are called to be those bells. We are the ones who should speak, sing, even scream of the peace that we have been offered through the Holy Spirit. The peace that exists now, but is also still fully to come. Because unto us a child is born. The Wonderful Counselor. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace. 

Christmas Bells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound 
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
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."