Tuesday, December 13, 2022

          Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was fondly called “America’s Poet.”  He regaled nineteenth century Americans with works such as “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “The Song of Hiawatha,” and even a poem set to music that became the Christmas carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”  Perhaps you have sung that carol many times yet never really knew the story or the power behind it.  Here is a portion of how that song came to be part of our Christmas tradition.  Longfellow was suffering from despair and depression over the loss of his wife Fanny to burns suffered in an accidental fire when her dress was consumed by flames.  His heart was broken to learn that his son Charlie had been wounded in battle in the Civil War. 
            Longfellow had shut down—physically, emotionally and spiritually.  He had become a recluse in his own house—rarely venturing out and even then, only to purchase ether to help relieve and anesthetize the pain he carried.  For a long time, he did not write anything.  His pen was silent and the inkwell was dry.  His desk gathered dust and cobwebs.  He was a tragic shell of the man, writer and father that he had once been.  A poet’s once creative voice had been silenced by incredible and unresolved grief that seemed to multiply but never go away.  On Christmas in 1863, he spoke with his minister who assured him that whatever he carried could be left with Christ.  Longfellow may have lost his way but Christ had not given up on Longfellow.
            And then Longfellow wrote again, “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 then, as he stumbled into the third verse, the grief and depression suddenly seized him and tormented him once again.  He wrote, almost confessionally through the tortured pain of a broken heart, “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.”  He stopped.  The pen would not write anything else and his heart was devoid of anything to say. 
            But then upon hearing the Christmas bells ring at the nearby church, Longfellow was gripped by God and the joy and hope that always reside in the arms and power of Christ and His birth.  He remembered the laughter, innocence and squeals of delight that accompanied the sound of those bells when his children were younger and the imagination and magic were still real to him.
            The now-rejuvenated poet summoned the courage to write the fourth and fifth verses.  “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.  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.”  My friends, God always has the last word—not the earth, the grief, the circumstances we face, the sorrow we may carry and the battles we often fight.
            My friends, we may not think as often as we should about the simple lessons of Christmas and the simple images and symbols of Christmas like bells, manger scenes, carols, Christmas Eve worship and the rare Christmas Day on a Sunday but these simple things matter deeply and profoundly.  They change lives.  They change homes.  They change nations and history.  While earth may be unsettled and raging, there is power and Kingdom authority on the throne in heaven.  Be gladdened and joyful for Christ has come.  The good will of God has been poured out for us to see.  May the familiar traditions and symbols of Christmas renew you and enliven you.  May the small things that you see, touch, hear and speak bring the reality of Christ into the troubled places that you might be carrying.  May this Christmas renew you like no other one ever has. 
            If you are looking for something special to add to your Christmas journey, I encourage you to see the movie “I Heard The Bells.”  It is playing in theaters now and tells the story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his journey from despair to faith and from grief to joy.  You will be blessed and moved to tears by this amazing story of faith and triumph.  You can learn more at the movie website here.... https://www.iheardthebellsmovie.com/
            Have a great Tuesday and remember you can worship and share our worship with others at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.