Peace And Goodwill To All Men

'And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."  Luke 2:10,11 and 13,14 (KJV)

Merry and Blessed Christmas! 

The first Christmas greetings under the night sky of Bethlehem was proclaimed by the angel and multitude of the heavenly host to the shepherds. There were two messages

• The birth of Jesus Christ, long awaited and a fulfillment of prophecies, 

'For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And He shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:6-7

• The prayer and expectation of Peace on Earth. Jesus was declared the Prince of Peace.

Christians rejoice at the coming of Jesus, our Saviour who forgave our sins and ushered us into a new and living relationship with God. For more than two thousand years Christians enjoy this reality. But the promise of peace appears elusive; many lament the fact that peace on earth is never experienced even since the birth of Christ. 

Let me share my journey in understanding this Peace.

The first is Elusive Peace. This was most sarcastically commented by this rendition of Silent Night by Simon and Garfunkel over the Seven o'Clock News read by Charles O'Donnell.

That album was released in the 1966, things have not changed. Since then there has not been a Christmas in which there is no war, crisis or conflict somewhere in this world. This Christmas the war in Ukraine rages on and there will be no Christmas truce this time. Is Christmas and its promise of peace on earth good will among men irrelevant today?

The second is Inner Peace. How can we find peace in the midst of dismal circumstances? If peace cannot be found externally, can it be found within us? Having peace within, perhaps we can be at peace with others. A Chinese poem reads,

If there is a light in the soul there will be beauty in the person,

If there is beauty in the person there will be harmony in the house,

If there is harmony in the house there will be order in the nation,

If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.

"Let There Be Peace on Earth" is a song written by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller in 1955. Jackson-Miller, had been suicidal after the failure of her marriage, she wrote the song after discovering what she called the "life-saving joy of God's peace and unconditional love." The main message is in the refrain, 'Let peace begin with me.' 

The third is Heavenly Peace. There is another kind of peace, not coming from within but peace from above, transcendental peace. This is the peace offered by Christmas, Jesus said,

'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' John 14:27

Saint Paul described this as a peace which passed all understanding,

 'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4:7

This was the peace Saint Francis understood when he prayed 'Make me an instrument of thy peace.' The peace comes from God and if we can become just instruments, conduits of this peace, there is a chance for peace and good will among men.

Enjoy this Christmas carol, Silent Night. 

Merry Christmas! May the Light of Jesus Christ be the light in your souls!

Lionel

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

Church Bells, Corfu

'You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst forth into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.' Isaiah 55:12

This will be the second Christmas we will have under Covid-19 restrictions. The shops bravely open and Orchard Road is lighted up. But I doubt that there will be much festivities this Christmas. The number of tourists will be almost negligible, there will be no singing of carols in the churches nor in the shops.

It will be quite a dismal celebration of Christmas. But these two years are not without precedence. Christmas was hardly celebrated in the two World Wars and during world crises throughout history.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, America's celebrated poet lived through a tragic Christmas season during the American Civil War, when he wrote the Christmas carol, 'I heard the Bells on Christmas Day.' in 1863. Bishop Gordon Wong introduced me to this carol in a recent sermon. 

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

I thought how, as the day had come

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along th' unbroken song

Of peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill 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, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill to men

When we peruse the lyrics of the carol, we will probably conclude that this carol is most appropriate for this Covid-19 Christmas, although we are not sure how many church bells will be pealing on the 25 Dec 2021. The carol started with despair but ended in hope. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Longfellow had fallen into a depression in 1861 when his wife Frances died in a fire. She had been sealing envelopes with hot wax when her clothes caught fire. The death marked a low point in Longfellow’s life. His physical appearance changed dramatically as he began growing his beard because the burns disfigured his face.

In 1863, Longfellow suffered another blow. His son Charley ran off to enlist in the 1st Massachusetts Artillery. In November, Charley was wounded in battle. Henry Longfellow was full of grief and started questioning the promise of peace announced at the first and every Christmas. In despair he wrote, 'There is no peace on earth, for hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth good will to men. 

But in the pealing of the bells, he found a message that peace would come to the troubled nation as well as to Longfellow's troubled mind. He started a follow on stanza with the conclusion, 'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With peace on earth, the right prevail.' 

Longfellow's message was penned in the poem Christmas Bells. The Christian group Casting Crowns provided an updated version of the old carol.  

   

Christmas cards featuring the manger scene, with angels, shepherds and barn animals well positioned around the Holy Family give us the wrong impression that at the time of Jesus' birth it was a peaceful. In reality, Jesus lived through a time that was a powder keg for rebellion and terrorist activities. The Romans occupied Israel and with it came oppressive rule. The Judeans were subjected to tyrannical governors and puppet kings such as Pontius Pilate and Herod. Those times were anything but peaceful. Nevertheless Jesus' birth brought the hope for peace,

'For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on His shoulders. And He shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end.' Isaiah 9:6-7 

How can we find peace despite dismal circumstances with every Christmas? Peace during turmoil? Perhaps it should first be found in a person. After having inner peace, we can be at peace with others. Father John Main (Ref 1) stated, 'Peace is a noble objective and a unifying one. In many of the sacred scriptures of both the eastern and western traditions this goal is described as the state of blessedness, of glory, of salvation or simply of life. The sense of being fully, humanly alive.' 

It takes courage to express a time for peace in the midst turmoil, crisis, disaster and war. Even so, every Christmas before, during and after wars and pandemics continues to express the message: Peace on earth, goodwill towards men. The Christmas bells rang out in the last stanza of the carol,

 

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

Shalom!

Lionel

Ref 1. Paul Tharris and Laurence Freeman (editors), Silence and Stillness in Every Season, Daily Readings with John Main.