Unleashed: As You Go – Pray
Celebrating the Fourth week of Advent – The Angel Candle – Peace
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” Luke 2:13-14
Peace and goodwill, the seemingly ever-elusive state that the world constantly seeks, but never quite achieves. Many options are proffered every day to find them but only one source of peace will endure forever. Peace is not found in activities, methods or materials, but in a person. Peace marks the fourth week of Advent.
Merriam-Webster defines peace in very good technical terms. Peace is “a state of tranquility or quiet. Freedom from civil disturbance. A pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity offered the possibility of a negotiated peace.” This seems a simple enough achievement. Yet why is peace so elusive? According to the Global Peace Index “the results this year show that the level of global peacefulness deteriorated, with the average country score falling by 0.34 per cent. Iceland remains the most peaceful country, with Afghanistan coming last and The United States ranking 121 out of 163 nations.”
For American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, peace seemed such a distant memory as he sat in a medical tent holding the wounded body of his oldest son, Charles. The pain of his son stirred the pain within himself as he still grieved the death of his beloved wife. It was in this moment of despair that Longfellow heard the church bells tolling in the background for Christmas day. How can there be peace? Longfellow began to capture his thoughts in the poem “Christmas Bells.”
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.”
Out of his hopelessness, it was as if God allowed the bells to awaken in Longfellow again the peace that is found on Christmas Day in Jesus. External surroundings no longer define inner peace because of the birth of Jesus.
Longfellow’s poem has inspired many song writers to adapt the poem to music sung during the Christmas season. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and take five minutes to listen and reflect on the peace as the Christmas Bells toll in this version of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day:” https://youtu.be/s1L4Ov_yMyo
Over the decades since these words were captured hundreds of wars have raged, divisions have erupted within nations, countless economic disasters and personal tragedies have occurred. Yet the truth of that night in Bethlehem still echoes power and hope for us today. Jesus – The Prince of Peace!
What should I pray for during Advent?
- Pray for peace in all situations, no matter what the circumstances.
- Pray for freedom from all that burdens you.
- Pray for confidence in God’s love for you.
God is great,
Pastor Lynn