I grew up in a small town in Central Indiana in the 60’s and 70’s. As is true of many small towns, there is one section that becomes a hub of churches. Logansport, IN, was no exception. In one spot, you could see the towers of Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic, and Lutheran buildings, all reaching to be closer to God. And I was probably one of the last generations to be blessed with the opportunity to be engulfed with the sound of church bells. Though I am relatively sure that most, if not all, of these churches were using some sort of recordings rather than Quasimodo in the bell tower, I can clearly remember hearing all of the tones and clangs as the church bells chimed out the hour.
These bells were all the more powerful on Christmas Eve as they rang in the cold, midwestern darkness to greet the people coming out of the Midnight services. At least, for a moment, we are all on the same side, all possessing the same hope. “Peace on Earth, Good Will To Men.” (Luke 2:14) As it has been years since I have heard those bells, it has also been a long time since I have felt that the church has been seeking this quest for peace.
The idea of peace on earth is actually more complicated than what we sing about during the holiday season. Many people also remember the term from the old hymn, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” but this carol is actually based on an even older poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For lack of a better comparison, Longfellow was the Taylor Swift of his day. He was immensely popular, wealthy, and was able to bridge the gap between scholars and fans. As many of you may be aware, Longfellow wrote this poem in December of 1863 only a few weeks after learning that his son had been permanently injured fighting for the North during the Battle of Mine Run.
The poem covers Longfellow’s connecting the bells of Christmas day with the words of peace, and his questioning whether God cares about us at all.
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. (Stanza 6)
But as we all know, the ringing of the bells pulls Longfellow back to an understanding “That God is not dead; not doth he sleep.” and we will once again find “peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Except…we don’t. In the stanzas we don’t sing in church, Longfellow points toward the horrors of war and the cannon’s thundering and “It was if an earthquake rent/ The hearth-stones of a continent.” And clearly, the bells of 1863 did not lead to any form of peace or goodwill. And even when the angels appearing above the shepherds made the claim of peace, the birth of the savior did not lead to any peace on this earth, so what is this promise?
That one passage in Luke is the only time God talks about world peace, though there are several verses that point out its absence. As a matter of fact, Jesus makes it very clear that he will not be bringing peace to this world. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the world. I did not come to bring peace.” (Matt 10: 34). So if Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), what is He after?
Most of the time that the Bible talks about peace, it is personal. As he is nearing the crucifixtion, Jesus promises to his disciples and those who will love Him in the future, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled.” (John 14:27). But where is the Angel’s peace, across the whole world? Where is the good-will? Jesus, in his birth and ministry, did not bring peace, he gave that task to us as “blessed are the peacemakers.” We are tasked with finding peace in this world, but I want to make it clear, peace is more than the absence of war. The Bible makes it clear that for there to be peace, there must be justice. One of my favorite biblical images comes from the Psalms. 85:10-11 which reads, “Justice and Peace will kiss each other.” In a more concrete sense, Isaiah wrote, “the effect of justice will be peace.” (32: 16).
I think that the angels, and later Longfellow, were conceiving of “Peace on Earth” much differently than we have always thought of it. Rather than Peace over the entire world” (a goal that we, as humans, don’t seem to be very good at), perhaps we are being instructed to give peace, and justice, a place on this planet. We are being tasked with establishing acts of justice that provide this presence of God’s peace.
When it comes to Justice, we have a tendency to view it as a very black and white issue. Those on the “right side,” almost always us, should conquer and then punish those on the “wrong side,” or them. But Jesus doesn’t pick sides. The ancient Jews expected the Messiah to lead them, “us,” against Rome, “them,” and wipe them out, but that was not His mission. He came to save us, certainly, but He also came to save “them.’ Therefore, we need to seek the form of justice that brings all the people that God created closer to Him, and that means coming to the aid of all of God’s people who are being abused, oppressed, put at a distance, forgotten, shamed, exploited, targeted,…unfortunately, I could go on.
If you want to seek God’s Justice, you may approach it with this prayer. But, I must warn you, this connection to God can be very painful. Ask God to see His creation through His eyes, and to have your heart broken by what breaks His. The answer to this prayer will give you clarity on who actually needs God’s Justice and God’s Peace.
I don’t know if you will be able to hear the bells of Christmas this year, but listen anyway. If you hear church bells, Salvation Army bells, doorbells, obnoxious car horns, whatever, let it remind you that God came to earth to be an active part of this world and requires of you the following:
“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Merry Christmas
