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!”
Excerpt from “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
It was Christmas of 1864, a time when the nation was divided. The Civil War, which was in no way civil, had brought such suffering to families on both sides of the struggle. It would be four more months before Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse. American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s heart was heavy as he grieved the state of his country and reminisced about happier times. In recent years a tragic fire had claimed the life of his beloved wife Fanny, and not long after her death, he received the news that his oldest son had been seriously wounded in battle.
His poem “Christmas Bells” was later set to music as “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” In the interest of space, I have only quoted three of seven verses. You can easily find the other four. But I can just imagine this thoughtful writer, pen in hand, putting words to the sorrow in his heart.
I love Longfellow’s honesty – the fact that as he perceives the world around him in the present moment he documents it without sugar coating. As they say, “It is what it is.”
Who wants to admit to being sad at this particular time of the year? Unhappiness is not congruent with Christmas plans and expectations. We want the Hallmark movie in real life, today’s version of those old Currier and Ives prints with the snow, mistletoe and smiling faces and that total immersion of peace, joy, and deep love. We’d like to think the pictures in the Facebook Fantasy are real and lasting, and it can’t be Christmas unless the picture reflects perfection. Over the decades — and I have lived quite a few — I have not found that the Hallmark card/movie situation exists with predictable regularity in every Christmas season. It could, of course, if we all lived in the land of make believe, and there were no real people who had not rehearsed the proper lines.
The truth is that there is much invisible pain all around us even as we observe this season that is advertised as peace, joy, and good will. Life is messy and sometimes very sad. I think that may be why I was so drawn to Longfellow’s poem. It reminds me a bit of so many Psalms I love. He just lays out his complaint without holding back, and when the venting is over, he remembers what he knows in his heart. “God is not dead; nor doth He sleep.” His earthly vision clears, and he embraces the timeless truth about that babe in the manger and the reason His birth brought what the Bible calls “certain hope.” He will forever be the light that the darkness cannot extinguish.
Here in this 2019 moment, in the middle of all of the world’s chaos churning around us, Longfellow’s words ring true because they are true: “God is not dead; nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men!”
I believe that completely. Although I am so uncertain of what the in-between time may look like, I have no doubt that as sure as night follows day, there will come a day when all that is wrong is set right, and King Jesus will reign over all.
Therefore, like Longfellow, I can celebrate Christmas.
Christ is Lord. God’s ways are not our ways, and, sad to say, His timing is not our timing. But we can lay our heads on our pillows at night and sleep in total peace knowing that He is ruling and reigning and that nothing will come to us that has escaped His notice. He will forever supply the divine grace and resources we need to meet every personal challenge.
