Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet who lived during the 1800's. He is considered the greatest American poet of his time. You may know Longfellow from some of his more famous poems like Paul Revere's Ride, The Village Blacksmith, or his epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha.

If none of these ring a bell, perhaps the following title will: Christmas Bells, made popular a few years after it was written when music was composed for it and sung with the new title I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day.

Before I read the poem to you, allow me to give you a bit of context to it.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned this in the year 1863. If you are familiar with our nation's history, you will recognize this time as the middle of the Civil War. The war was deeply unsettling for Longfellow, who was an ardent abolitionist. Longfellow would write in his journal, "I have only one desire; and that is for harmony, and a frank and honest understanding between North and South."

Not long after the Civil War had started in 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's wife died of injuries sustained from an accidental fire. This left a deep impact upon him, and for a long time, he wrote very little. Almost two years later, in March of 1863, Henry's oldest son joined the Union Army against his father's wishes. He received a commission as a lieutenant, but in November of 1863, Charles Longfellow was severely injured in combat. That Christmas, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem, Christmas Bells.

I will read it for you, and I hope that you will notice two things: the references to the Civil War, but most importantly, the deep sadness the author conveys stemming from the recent loss of his wife and the despair characteristic of a father who is worried about an gravely injured son.

The poem Christmas Bells goes like this:

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!"

There is one more stanza that I will read in just a moment, but I will draw your attention to what we have just read. It paints a bleak picture of the "happiest time of the year," doesn't it?

Longfellow tells of how Christmases are great, filled with people wishing each other peace on earth and goodwill. Until tragedy strikes the nation with a civil war. He mentions that the carols of peace on earth goodwill to men are drowned out by the roar of cannon-fire.

His next stanza mentions that it is almost as if an earthquake had torn the nation in two, and households that were once wishing each other peace on earth, goodwill to men, were now cast into despair.

Then Longfellow makes reference to his own sadness, no doubt from the passing of his wife, the absence of his son coupled with the news that he had received a terrible injury, all weighing down a heart that was already despondent for a nation torn by war.

He says,

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!"

There is no hope to be found in these lines. And for many, there seems to be no hope or consolation during this season of "peace on earth, good-will to men."

Like Longfellow says, there is so much that drowns that blessing out. We hear songs like, 'Tis The Season to Be Jolly, but all we see is that 'tis the season to be greedy. People walk around with little to no patience, worried about decorations, presents, parties, get togethers, travel. The lights and the tinsel may mask it a little, but for many, this is not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

For some, the sadness runs deeper than mere frustration. It goes coupled with a sense of loss. For many in this world, and even some people that we know, this is the first Christmas season without a particular friend or family member. For others, this season marks many years of the absence of someone special.

It puts a damper on the Christmas spirit.

Even so, so many people engage in the parties, the decorating, gift giving, and put on a cheery face because this is the way it is supposed to be right now, right?

But what happens to it all on December 26th? Once the last present is opened, once the last guest has gone home, once the lights come down and the decorations stored, then what?

Too many people find that the emptiness is amplified. There is nothing to mask it, nothing to draw attention away from the pain. There continues to be no peace on earth, nor goodwill to men.

And on Christmas day in 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow seemed to be drowning in his despair, like so many people will be drowning in their despair this Christmas.

But Longfellow did not end his poem in despair. He continued to write one more stanza, and this is what it says:

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."

Listen. Each stanza ends with the words "Peace on earth, good-will to men."

This is a quote from Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

This was the announcement of the angels to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. The whole nation of Israel, for close to 1,900 years since the birth of Isaac, had been waiting on the news of the Messiah, the chosen one that would bring peace on earth and good will to men. The night Jesus was born, shepherds were greeted by an angel in this manner.

Fear not! For I bring you good tidings (or good news) of great joy! For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord.

And immediately after he said that, a host of angels appeared with the first one and began to praise God and say, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

I don't know how you feel about the Christmas holidays. You may be a regular Cindy Lou Who or you may be an absolute Scrouge. You may be so thrilled at Christmas that your countdown calendar starts on December 26th, or this season may be so unpleasant that you can hardly wait until the radio stations go back to their regular programming.

In either case, I have a message for you. It is the same one that angels gave the shepherds, and it starts this way:

FEAR NOT! Though this may be a time of anxiety, loneliness, or sadness, there is hope. The hope of joy that presents itself is not because of presents. The hope is not in a temporary season that comes and goes once a year. The true and enduring hope is not even dependent on whether friends or family are around us or not.

The hope that we have, the thing that fights the fear, the anxiety, the sadness, and the loneliness is in the fact, the good news that brings great joy, that Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth. The Bible gives Him the title and name Emanuel, which means God with us.

FEAR NOT, I have GOOD NEWS that can bring you GREAT JOY - GOD IS WITH YOU.

And Jesus didn't come just to be here among us. He came to be the savior of the world. All the sadness, the loneliness, the anxiety, the frustration, bad attitudes, and fear is caused by sin. Sin is all that that goes against what God says, and we are all sinful, and we all suffer these things because of our sin. But the angels told the shepherds, and I tell you today, Jesus came to save us from sin, and to give us peace. Real peace. A peace that nobody can take away. A peace that is not seasonal, a joy that is not temporary, but a peace and a joy that is rooted in Jesus Himself.

Jesus was born to give peace and to show good-will to all men.

The way he did that was not just by being born.

See, I mentioned a second ago that we are all sinners; we have all broken God's law. Because of that and because of our inability to erase and wash away our own sin, we cannot have a relationship with God.

Sin stops us from reaching God because He is perfect, and the standard for being in the family of God is perfection.

But God so desires us to be with Him and to be part of His family, that He sent His only begotten and perfect Son Jesus to be born miraculously of a virgin. But not just to be born and to live a perfect life, which He did, but to die.

See, the Bible says that the only way to satisfy the payment of sin is death and separation from God. If I die for my sins, that is a debt that I owe, and I can then only die for mine. I can't die for your sins, and you cannot die for mine.

But Jesus, the perfect Son of God who knew no sin, willingly died for your sin and mine.

Men who hated how He spoke of God and the message that He brought of peace on earth and goodwill to men conspired to have Him arrested and tried and convicted. Can you imagine it? In a land and a time wrought with violence and hate, Jesus was arrested and for teaching and preaching peace. He was not only arrested, he was put to death, but this was God's plan all along.

You see, Jesus never sinned. He did not have to die, but since He willingly laid down His life as payment for a debt that He never owed. But He didn't stay dead. The Bible tells us that He was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead! Because of that, He can now offer salvation of sins and peace with God for ALL men that would believe in Him and simply ask it.

Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. But the manger wasn't the target. Mount Calvary, the place where Jesus was crucified, was the target. Jesus was born for the purpose of dying and giving us peace with God.

INVITATION:

Maybe you are saved this morning. You know for sure that Jesus is your savior because you have placed all your faith in Him and asked Him to save you from your sin. If that is you, would you raise your hand?

Maybe, though, you have looked for other things to fulfill you. You've stopped focusing on the reason for this season, Jesus Christ. Maybe you're here this morning and are overwhelmed by sadness, loneliness, worry, and even fear. It's time you listen to that message of the angels one more time, "fear not."

Get you sights back on Jesus today. Follow Him. Seek Him out. Return to the source of joy and peace.

Maybe you are here this morning and do not have a personal relationship with God. If you were to die today, you do not know for sure that you would go to heaven or not. Well, this morning you can have peace with God. Today, the message is the same for you: Fear Not, God loves you. He wants to save you of your sins. He wants to be your heavenly Father. He sent His Son Jesus just for you. You can be saved today and know a peace and a joy that you have never even been able to imagine.

If you're here this morning and have never asked Jesus to be your personal savior but would like to, raise your hand.