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!”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863
IHeard the Bells on Christmas Day

One hundred fifty years later, hate is still strong in many parts of our country and the world. A time of great joy can also be a time of great sorrow.

For the great American poet Longfellow, the grief and despair were personal. He had recently lost his wife of 18 years in a tragic fire and anguished over his son who had joined the Union Army and gone off to fight the Civil War. (Charles Appleton Longfellow would be severely wounded in battle, but would recover.)

The poem, later set to music, tells of hearing Christmas bells during the Civil War, while in in the midst of his despair and anguish. It’s a feeling that many of us feel during the holiday season. A number of churches in the area observe the the winter solstice with a “Blue Christmas” service, geared especially for those grieving and struggling to find hope and joy during the holiday season. The service itself is very simple - a mixture of carols (sometimes just selected verses) and readings to narrate the Christmas story; prayers which acknowledge pain and emptiness alongside the Christian hope; a reflection which gently speaks of light in darkness. It takes place on our about the 20th of December: the shortest day (and longest and darkest night) of the year.

And hate is strong. The war in Ukraine has resulted in an estimated half million casualties while estimates in the Israel-Hamas War show more than 18,000 Palestinian and 1,200 Israeli deaths as of this writing. The later conflict has divided the nation and the world, with protests and sometimes violence in our cities. Prayers for peace are very much needed as the Christmas bells toll in 2023.

Longfellow, despite his anguish, finds a way to end his poem on an upbeat note.

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 are all in need of an upbeat ending to 2023. May we all take solace in the tolling of the bells. And let’s all pray for peace on earth.