The Hope, Pt. 3

One of my favorite Christmas movies is “I Heard the Bells”, the real-life story of the famous American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who inspired a nation particularly through the years of the American Civil War. The movie tells the story of how Longfellow lost his wife to a terrible accident at home, followed by years of depression and self-removal from the rest of the world. As years passed and the war between the North and South continued, Longfellow’s son decided to join the fight, against the wishes of both his father and his diseased mother. By the end of the movie, the fears of losing yet another loved one were calmed as Longfellow’s son made it home and Longfellow returned to putting pen to paper with his famous Christmas poem “Christmas Bells”, which would eventually be the basis for the Christmas carol – “I Heard the Christmas Bells.”

One of the major themes in the movie was the painstaking periods of waiting that Longfellow had to endure while his son was away in war. Not only that, but Longfellow was dealing with the pain of losing his wife, rendering him hopeless and embittered towards life itself. So the pain of loss and the pain of national conflict due to the war inspired these words:

“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!”

The apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Rome regarding the marks of true Christianity, and he includes these words in Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” This isn’t a command only in good times, but in all times. We as Christians are to rejoice in the hope of our coming Savior. We are to remain patient in difficult times. And through it all, we are to be a people who are committed to prayer.

By God’s grace, and I’m sure by the prayers of many, Longfellow came out of his depression and hopelessness and was able to bring his poem to this conclusion:

“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.’”

Why do we need Christmas? Because we need to be reminded that God is not dead, and he does not sleep through the affairs of man. Therefore, we can rest assured and wait patiently on Him, knowing that all wrongs will be made right, and that peace on earth and good-will to men are still promised in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So this Christmas, no matter what we’re called to endure, let’s do so with patient waiting, for victory is ours in Christ!