May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 29, 2017): 1 Thessalonians 5

            I heard the bells on Christmas day

            Their old familiar carols play,
            And wild and sweet the words repeat
            Of peace of earth, good will to men.

Peace, that elusive moment in which we are entirely without conflict. Poets have written about it, and dreamers have dreamed of it. Legislators have written laws that strive to enforce it. And, yet, rarely has this world experienced peace. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s words still grace this time of year. And yet, seldom do we recognize the pain that exists behind the poet’s words. The poem, entitled initially “Christmas Bells” and first published in 1865, was actually written on Christmas Day 1863, in the middle of the American Civil War. Longfellow, a pacifist, did not understand how the States could take up arms against each other. The poet was recovering from a devastating personal blow that had occurred two years earlier when his wife had died in a fire. And then earlier in 1863, his oldest son, Charles, had left home without his father’s permission to go and fight in the war with the Union army. He was severely injured in November, and although Charles would recover from his wounds, something was lost in the process. As far as Longfellow was concerned, the war was stealing too much from the people of the United States.

And as Longfellow pondered what had been lost, “Christmas Bells” began to form. The first three stanzas of the original poem talk about this peace that Longfellow knew that he was supposed to be feeling, and yet it seemed so far away.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

             Had rolled along
             The unbroken song

             Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

             Till ringing, singing on its way,
             The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime

A chant sublime

             Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

I can imagine Longfellow sitting writing the words while his soul was torn to shreds by the lack of peace. I can hear the questions in his mind about whether peace was even possible for us who seem to be doomed to both live and die by the sword. It is to these feelings of hurt that existed deep down in the core of who he was that Longfellow dedicated two stanza’s that we no longer sing in our Christmas Carol.

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

             Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

             Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

             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 conclusion that we often come to is that peace is impossible. Even at this sacred time of the year, we do not know real peace. And the problem is inside of us. As Paul concludes his first letter to the Thessalonians, he writes these words - May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. Too often we gloss over the words, after all, peace, even at Christmas, seems impossible, and we just aren’t sure what that word “sanctify” means. It is too easy to write the words off as Paul’s way of saying goodbye.

But the words are so much more. They are a prayer that God, the God of peace, the peace that we all dream of, would change us and shape us according to his will – and in the process make peace possible. I need to be changed, to be formed so that peace is a reality in my life. I need to be molded so that I can chase after the purpose of God’s heart – peace.

I believe peace is possible, but only as selfishness disappears and as we are shaped by God’s love and enabled to chase after God’s purpose for us. I don’t understand Holy Wars. We serve a God of peace. I know, peace sounds impossible, but we also serve a God who can accomplish the impossible.

Longfellow closes his poem with these words of hope -

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."

Or as a poet of my generation wrote –

            You may say I'm a dreamer,

            but I'm not the only one.

            And I hope someday you'll join us

            And the world will live as one. (John Lennon)

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1 & 2