I know that Thanksgiving has not even occurred yet, but I wanted to share this truth.
Christmas and Thanksgiving in 2020 may look a lot different than they have in years past. There are challenges this year that many of us have never experienced before. The truth is that Thanksgiving and Christmas are not always a joyful time for everyone. My favorite Christmas Movie, A Christmas Carol, exposes that. In the movie, we learn that Scrooge’s heart has turned hard towards Christmas because of painful events that have occurred in Christmases past.
If you look at the history of the song “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”, the poem that this song derives from was written out of a place of sorrow and mourning. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had lost his wife two years prior to an accidental fire, and the Civil War was still raging. A war that had severely wounded his son that year. In light of all this, the lines, “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” have new meaning. If the song ended there, we all would despair. But the next verse begins with truth and hope. “Then rang the bells more loud and deep. God is not dead nor doth he sleep.” That is truth. God is not dead. And because of that we can sing, “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
Challenges will appear this holiday season. They always do. Instead of focusing on what we might be missing out on, let’s focus on truth and find hope in that truth. God is not dead. Jesus still came and was born. There is hope in Jesus.
This song is my favorite Christmas song, and this version is my favorite rendition. I hope you enjoy it and I hope that you have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas this year.