I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was the most popular American poet of his day and wrote such well known poems as Paul Revere's Ride, The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline.  But perhaps his poem, Christmas Bells (1863) became his best-known work because that poem became the basis for the Christmas carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

The song begins by lifting our spirits by retelling the familiarity of the season…

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!

The song later details the horrors of our own Civil War and describes the destruction of "the hearth-stones of a continent", while the next to last verse recognizes the anguish and despair at the tearing of the fabric of our embattled country.

"On Christmas day, 1863, Longfellow—a 57-year-old widowed father of six children, the oldest of which had been nearly paralyzed as his country fought a war against itself—wrote a poem seeking to capture the dynamic and dissonance in his own heart and the world he observes around him. He heard the Christmas bells that December day and the singing of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14), but he observed the world of injustice and violence that seemed to mock the truthfulness of this optimistic outlook. The theme of listening recurred throughout the poem, eventually leading to a settledness of confident hope even in the midst of bleak despair."     (Justin Taylor - The True Story of Pain and Hope Behind 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day')

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!"

I'm struck by how relevant these words of despair are to my ears today.  We live in a country divided by political views seemingly as strong as the divisions that spawned our Civil War.  Public discourse is rarely civil and social media posts seek to throw gasoline on the flames.  Hate is still strong today (as perhaps evil always is…) and hate speech, hate crimes and hatred towards my fellow man and woman grab the headlines – adding even greater despair to our lives if that were possible.  It would be easy to give up and give into hate… adding our voices to whatever sides and issues we choose.  Amid this despair we can wonder, "Where is God in all this hatred and evil?"

The last verse of the song reminds us that even in the midst of overwhelming despair – we can hear the message of the bells resonating more loud and deep…

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."

This reminder that God has not abandoned us can sustain us to "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" (Luke 6:31).  Feelings of being abandoned are common to our minds.  I think Joseph was feeling abandoned when he discovered Mary was pregnant.  Then an angel spoke to him, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:20-23)\

Amazing this claim that God was now WITH us!  The angels announced his birth saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth, good will toward men.”  Often, when we hear words of anger and see images of hate, it would be easy to despair were it not for the Promise of Immanuel.

I hope that in this season you listen for the clanging bells of hope, believing that God is neither dead nor slumbering…