"Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men"

Some Christmas Thoughts

         Like everyone else I am thinking of Christmas and wanted to share some thoughts with those I love most. This is a short talk I gave in church on Christmas Day 2011. When I think of the teachings of Christ the most important message that comes across is love and peace.

Wishing all of you a very merry Christmas.

Today we celebrate the birth of Christ. His birth was announced to humble shepherds by a multitude of heavenly hosts, who while praising God, where saying “Peace on earth, good will toward men”.[1] The birth of Christ brought a promise to the world and all mankind. A promise not in the usual sense, that when given assures or guarantees something. Rather a promise of something good to come, a promise of hope for the future. The lyricist Charles Wesley wrote in 1739, “Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the new-born King!”[2] If the birth of Christ, this new-born King, was to bring “Peace on earth and good will towards men”, how was this to come to be?

Matthew writes: “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,”[3] “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you….” [4] Reading theses teachings today they may seem quite mild maybe even timid. However, considering the world at the time when taught, these teachings were absolutely revolutionary.

Israel had always been a nation under siege. After having survived numerous conflicts and battles with neighboring nations, they were conquered by Assyria. The Assyrians were then conquered by the Babylonians. During this whole time the Israelites were in constant rebellion. Tiring of these rebellions, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC. Cyrus the Great of Persia then conquered Babylon. After defeating the Babylonians, Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to the Promised Land and rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. The Israelites remained under Persian rule until Alexander the Great marched through Persia defeating Darius and conquering all the land to the Indus River. The Jews lived under the rule of this new Hellenistic world until 63 BC when the great Roman general Pompey, at the urging of Greece, defeated the warring factions remaining in Asia Minor and made the area, including Jerusalem, a province of Rome. Throughout most of their history the Jews had suffered foreign rule and war. In 66 AD the Jews revolted against Rome. The revolt lasted to 70 AD when the Romans took Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. The revolt against Roman authority resulted in 1,100,000 being killed.

Christ had been born into a world in which cruelty was common place. Disputes were handled militarily, changes in power and governments were accomplished though murder and assassination. The world was full of hate and devoid of love. This state of mind was apply described in the poem “Christmas Bells”[5] penned on Christmas day in 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, after his eldest son had been severely wounded in the Civil War. “…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.”

As we hear the words of Christ saying: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth…And that thou shalt…hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”[6]

We now understand that these were not the words of a timid itinerant teacher. These words are those of Christ, the son of God, the great Jehovah. With this understanding, the scripture takes on new meaning. “Ye have heard” is followed by: “BUT I SAY”…These are now the words of the Great I Am spoken with power and authority…”Love your enemies.” “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you…”[7]

This is how the promise announced at Christ’s birth would be fulfilled. This simple teaching held the power to change the course of the world, away from hate, redirecting it towards love. If we truly loved one another there would be no crime. If we loved one another there would be no war.

On this holy Christmas day let us join with all men and Harkin unto the Herald Angels, and by following the teachings of the Savior, receive the promise of peace and the blessing of good will among men. In the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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[1] Luke 2: 8-14

[2] Charles Wesley 1707-1788, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems.

[3] Matt 5: 1,2

[4] Matt 5: 43, 44

[5] "Christmas Bells" was first published in February 1865 in Our Young Folks, a juvenile magazine published by Ticknor and Fields.

[6] Matt :5 38-44

[7] John 13: 34,35