I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”, was written as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the American Civil War. In verse three, the poet despaired:

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.”

While circumstances differ, many of us likewise have such feelings today. Simply watching the news can cause anxiety and sadness and it is easy to forget there is a larger force in the universe that knows us individually. Howard W, Hunter once shared:

“The news media, radio, television, newspapers, national magazines,  and many other things we hear and read, bring to us depressing, negative thoughts. We are constantly reminded of crime, war, riots, disease, theft, murder, death, vulgarity, pornography,  , , , corruption in government, and even questionable politics. A few days ago, I examined every article on the first few pages of the newspaper. Every article I read expressed a negative thought or a depressing situation. There was nothing to add a cheerful note, a positive or uplifting thought, or a hope for the future . . .” (Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, pg. 75).

He then counseled that we needed to step out of the negative world into an atmosphere of love and a positive hope for the future and added, “His gospel of love encourages us to look upward and not down, to look for the good in life and not the bad, to seek the positive and not the negative” (Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, pg. 75).

And that is the power of Longfellow’s message in verse four:

 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.”

We should seek and turn to the Living God for peace. He is not dead. He is not asleep. He is there. He is all around us.

And this promise is true: “Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world . . .” (Ether 12:4).

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Author’s note: On Christmas Eve 2021, I read a Facebook post from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland where he recounted a personal Christmas experience that changed his perspective of Christmas. In part, he shared this self-rebuke, “…Put your theology where your Christmas carols are” (read his full post here). I decided to take some time and think through the messages of some of these carols. I rediscovered that the truths these Christmas hymns teach can help us understand the “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10) spoken of by the angel to the shepherds on the night of the Savior’s birth.

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Lead Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash