michelleponders

I have always loved singing Christmas songs. From singing them in church to being in the children’s choir at school to playing them in band, and teaching them to my kids, Christmas songs have always been special. Through the years, I have come to enjoy original Christmas music from groups like Trans-Siberian Orchestra as well as my favorite Christian musicians. As a Christian, Christmas is a big part of my faith. I believe that Mary was chosen to be the mother of our Savior Jesus. The man whom she was betrothed, Joseph, still took Mary as his wife despite the fact she was supernaturally pregnant. At the end of the pregnancy Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem for a census when Mary gives birth to our Savior in a stable due to lack of any rooms available during the census.(Luke 1&2) So much love and light born into the world! The sweet Prince of Peace embodied in a newborn infant!

Peace means many things to many people. Sitting in a home that is warm and inviting. Knowing you can pay your bills each month without worry. The ability to buy groceries without wondering if you will have enough money or will you have to put somethings back. Peace is also knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you are in a war torn country, peace is a longing. You just want everything to be normal without the bombs and bullets and devastation. There are wars and conflicts going on around the world. The Russia/Ukraine war. The middle east is always in conflict/war with Israel. Of course, the issues and conflicts with Israel have been going on since man has been on Earth. The only way there will be peace in the middle east will be when Jesus comes back. As we go into the final week to Christmas, I have pondered my some of my favorite Christmas songs. Of course I love all the ones I grew up singing in church. But there is a song that has been one of my all time favorites since I heard it. ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day’ is one of my all time favorites. It’s actually a very old song with amazing origins. I heard it for the first time when I heard the Christian group Casting Crowns cover it. I have loved it ever since.

Origin. This Christmas Carol is based on a poem “Christmas Bells” in 1863 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow wrote this poem during the Civil War. Our Civil War. In 1872 John Baptiste Calkin set the poem to music. There have been different version overs the years using different verses of the poem itself. And needless to say, the song has been covered by numerous musicians as well.

Relevance Today. Our country is a mess. We have had career politicians with nefarious plans and positions running America for years. America has become a fractured and divided nation. And in the last year it has come to a head and We The People have had enough. We have prayed for a President who will get America back on track. Last month we elected someone who understands politics but isn’t a career politician. He is going to work on making the changes needed for peace. We aren’t expecting miracles. We have the faith to overcome the doubt and despair we have been in during the last 4 years. And faith is in abundance this Christmas season just like when Longfellow wrote this poem during the last time our country was so divided. So read the poem and listen to the song. And may peace, good will, and God’s blessings fill your Christmas this year!

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!”

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.”