Without a doubt, Christmas is a special time to me and many. It is the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. As we have long said, it\u2019s an opportunity to stop, slow down, and give thanks\u2026 to give thanks for the hope, peace, joy and love found in Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While I have great respect for those who don\u2019t have a relationship with Jesus, I do wish that hope, peace, joy and love for each in humankind. Such is why at Christmas, we typically retell the reason behind the writing of the iconic classic, \u201cI Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.\u201d Perhaps you know the song\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day The song was penned by Charles Appleton Longfellow \u2014 known as \u201cCharley\u201d to family and friends. I\u2019ll be brief, but as documented here previously, suffice it so say, his life was hard\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was the oldest of six and the son of celebrated American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Home life was hard, as his mother died when he was 16 when her dress flukily caught on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles joined the army to fight in the Civil War. He swiftly impressed his fellow soldiers and superiors. Hear the rest as written several years ago by Justin Taylor, Crossway Sr. VP & publisher, putting life into perspective\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n After participating on the fringe of the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia (April 30-May 6, 1863), Charley fell ill with typhoid fever and was sent home to recover. He rejoined his unit on August 15, 1863, having missed the Battle of Gettysburg.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While dining at home on December 1, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow received a telegram that his son had been severely wounded four days earlier. On November 27, 1863, while involved in a skirmish during a battle of the Mine Run Campaign, Charley was shot through the left shoulder, with the bullet exiting under his right shoulder blade. It had traveled across his back and skimmed his spine. Charley avoided being paralyzed by less than an inch.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He was carried into New Hope Church (Orange County, Virginia) and then transported to the Rapidan River. Charley\u2019s father and younger brother, Ernest, immediately set out for Washington, D.C., arriving on December 3. Charley arrived by train on December 5. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was alarmed when informed by the army surgeon that his son\u2019s wound \u201cwas very serious\u201d and that \u201cparalysis might ensue.\u201d Three surgeons gave a more favorable report that evening, suggesting a recovery that would require him to be \u201clong in healing,\u201d at least six months.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On Christmas day, 1863, Longfellow\u2014a 57-year-old widowed father of six children, the oldest of which had been nearly paralyzed as his country fought a war against itself\u2014wrote a poem seeking to capture the dynamic and dissonance in his own heart and the world he observes around him. He hears the Christmas bells and the singing of \u201cpeace on earth\u201d (Luke 2:14) but observes the world of injustice and violence that seemed to mock the truth of this statement. The theme of listening recurs throughout the poem, leading to a settledness of confident hope even in the midst of bleak despair…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Respectfully… with hope… always…<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Without a doubt, Christmas is a special time to me and many. It is the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. As we have long said, it\u2019s an opportunity to stop, slow down, and give thanks\u2026 to give thanks for the hope, peace, joy and love found in Jesus. While I have great … <\/p>\n
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I 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.
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.”
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!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n