“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. . . Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.“
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 16-17
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DECEMBER 18, 2024
On December 25, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a widowed father of six children. His beloved wife had died after being badly burned in an accidental fire and Henry, who tried to save her, carried scars from the flames.
To add to his sorrow, a few days earlier Longfellow received word that his eldest son Charles had been seriously wounded in battle. Neither Longfellow’s country nor his soul was at peace.
After hearing carolers sing “peace on earth, goodwill toward men,” Longfellow composed these 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.”
Today, we need only watch news broadcasts to know that our world is not at peace. As in Longefellow’s time, the sounds of battle and the cries of the suffering seem to overwhelm the hymns of Christmas carolers. To many, there is no “silent night” no “holy night” where “all is calm, all is bright.” There are only sounds of explosions, gunfire, and sirens.
In 1988, the United Nations issued a report that in the last 3,400 years of human history, only 268 experienced peace without war and an estimated 8,000 peace treaties were made and broken.
Jesus’s disciples lived in a world that was not at peace; war, slavery, and poverty were commonplace. Like Jesus, they would experience hatred, rejection, beatings, prison. Most would be killed for the hope they proclaimed.
But through Jesus, God offers a new covenant, a new peace treaty, an offer of peace with Him, peace in our hearts, and peace among men.
“And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even He who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in Him will the Gentiles hope.”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:12-13
Longfellow would conclude his poem this way,
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.”
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- Are you able to see the hope Jesus is bringing to the world?
- What, to you, does it look like?
- Does this hope bring you peace?
Church Reading Plan: Zechariah 5; John 8