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.”
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.”
from "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
At no time in my adult life have I felt so much despair over the state of our world and pessimism about the likelihood of our nation being able to right the ship and become, once again, the beacon of freedom to the world.
And yet, there is no need to fear, nor reason to despair. For a Savior was born some 2000 or so years ago in Judea. And this Savior has already won the only battle that matters in the end: the battle against Death and Hell.
This life is but a fleeting moment. An eternity awaits us somewhere. My hope is in Him whose birth we celebrate this day. Yeah, I know -- there's no chance He was born on December 25th, the Catholic church made this the date to draw pagans away from worship of the Winter Solstice, blah, blah, blah. Ultimately, does it matter which day is chosen to celebrate His birth? Remember, it is not His birth that makes Him memorable or worthy of our trust and worship. His death and resurrection some 33 years later are the events that changed everything.
"'There is no peace on earth', I said." True dat. And there never will be THAT kind of peace in this world - ever. But the peace that surpasses all understanding is available to all who believe that Jesus is Lord, and whose lives have been changed forever by His saving Grace.
Merry Christmas, all.
