“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ 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 2:8-14)
For Henry, “peace on earth” was a commodity in very short supply that winter night in 1864. He had built a fairly successful career, but in his personal life he has suffered blow after blow in the past three and a half years. In July 1861, Fanny, his much-loved wife and mother of his six children, had died after suffering severe burns. During his attempts to rescue her he had suffered burns severe enough that he had been unable to attend her funeral. Even now, more than three years later, he was still dealing with the physical and emotional scars from that event.
On top of that, the Civil War was raging. In March 1863, just a year after the Civil War began, Henry’s 18-year-old son Charles, had slipped away from home, ridden a train to Washington, DC, and joined the Union Army. When contacted, Henry reluctantly gave his consent. But then just nine months later Henry received word that Charles had been shot during the Mine Run Campaign. The bullet entered his left shoulder, crossed his back, missing his spine by less than an inch, and exited under this right shoulder blade. While his injuries were not life-threatening, they would require many months of recovery, and the threat of permanent paralysis remained.
It's not hard to understand that Henry would be a bit skeptical as he heard the church bells ringing out while he sat at his desk that day. Where was the “peace on earth” promised by the angels? There was certainly no peace in his heart as he wrote of what he saw around him:
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!
In reality, even today we know that peace on earth is in short supply. Depending on where you search, there are at least 150 wars currently going on around the world. And one website declares that in the last 3,400 years there has not been a time when there was no conflict. Perhaps you can sympathize with Henry as he went on to say,
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!”
But Jesus, the one whose birth the angels declared in Luke 2:8-14, never intended us to search for peace in our surroundings. He so much as told His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Not might, will. But Jesus also did not leave His disciples to live in despair at that thought. No, here’s the full verse: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Here’s your challenge. Take your eyes off of your surroundings, your circumstances, the troubles that weigh you down, and fix your gaze firmly on Jesus, the one who has overcome the evil in this world, and who one day will irradicate it entirely. The one at whose birth the angels announced “peace on earth!”
You can have peace in this world. Henry found that peace as he recalled the words found in Psalm 121: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3-4).
Encouraged by that truth, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ended his well-known poem, “Christmas Bells” with these words:
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.” [1]