I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

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.

I 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.

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.”

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!

This particular hymn was written by one of the most famous American poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  The poem/hymn was written during the time of the Civil war.  Although there were a total of 7 stanzas in the original version, I have included the most common ones found in hymnals today.

As you will see in the third verse, the author is in a state of desperation because “hate is strong.”  The Civil war was a brutal war that pitted brother against brother, family against family, and was on the verge of tearing a nation in two.  From the perspective of a Christian living during those times, there would not have been much hope for “peace on earth, goodwill to men” based upon what was going on around them.  The author, however, is reminded in the 4th verse that God is still in the throne.  That God has not abandoned the world, and the grimness of the circumstances did not change the fact that God was still in control.  I get the mental picture that Mr. Longfellow was walking through town thinking about the difficulty of the situation.  Maybe he was personally impacted by the tragedy of this war.  He is so absorbed by these thoughts that he doesn’t recall where he is going or where he has been.  He “inadvertently” walks by a Church, and hears the Church bells playing.  No matter what song was being played by the bells, he hears the following words in his mind “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.”  Psalms 121:4 says “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” He is reminded by the bells of that Biblical truth.  That is how I feel about hymns sometimes.  Whether it is in church or listening to the radio or CD, a hymn can remind me of spiritual truths, and can provide comfort and encouragement especially if I am going through a difficult time.  Maybe it is the hymn “God will take care of you” that comes to my mind.  Maybe it is the chorus “Got any rivers?” that reminds me there is nothing too difficult for God.  Words from hymns can speak to us and help us through difficult situations.  This is one of the main reasons I love hymns and love to do “Hymn of the week” because these musical reminders can and will minister to us during life’s challenges.  Words from hymns and choruses can touch us, but if we don’t know them and have them “stored away” in our memory banks, it is hard to lean on the truths we find in them.  I am definitely not advocating putting the memorization of hymns above the memorization of Scripture.  But I do know that we remember things set to music much easier than we do straight text.

In this hymn the phrase, “peace, goodwill to men” is repeated several times.  I don’t know about you, but the word “goodwill” has a different meaning for me.  The first thing I think of when someone says “goodwill” is the Goodwill thrift store my mom used to take us to growing up.  As kids, we would go and look through the broken, used toys while my mom looked at other things in the store.  To this day, she still goes “junkin'” at the thrift stores because she is looking for a “deal,” or has nothing better to do.  However, Goodwill has a negative connotation to me.  It reminds me of things that have been cast aside, that aren’t wanted any longer, are used, not of much value or worn-out.  I am reminded, however, that this is exactly the type of person Jesus came to save.  The “cast-off”, the person that has no “value” in the world’s eyes, the tired and the weak.  Jesus came into a world, not with riches, but in poverty to minister to the impoverished.  The angels proclaimed the Good news, not in the temple or at the King’s palace, but to the shepherds in the fields,. He came to confound the world by using the “foolish” things of the world.  He came to seek and save that which was lost.  I hope that we can proclaim, like the angels, that peace and goodwill have come to earth.  Not an earthly peace or merely an “absence of war.”  But a perfect peace and an everlasting peace.  Peace in one’s heart because they have been reconciled to God.  I hope that we can spread “goodwill” to men.  Not give them our “leftovers,” but the very best.  We can share the greatest gift of all with them.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” 

I would recommend you go to the Goodwill store this Christmas season.  It will remind you of how blessed we really are.  Donate some things that might be of use to someone else and share some goodwill with others.  But more importantly, be reminded of the words Jesus spoke in Matthew Chapter 25. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’