Luke 2:13,14 Peace on Earth
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’” (KJV).
“It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” was written in 1849 as a poem by Edmund Sears. He originally wrote five stanzas, but most hymnals include only four, omitting the third stanza that speaks starkly of the effect on Edmund Sears of the turbulent times of his life. The war between the United States and Mexico had just ended, and there was much turmoil in Europe. Edmund was in a time of personal melancholy, so these difficulties preyed on his mind. The usual missing third stanza follows:
“Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
Hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.”
Yes, the world has suffered 2000 years of woe, but it is woe we have brought on ourselves, and we haven’t heard the love song of God. We need to do as Sears says, “Hush the noise, ye men of strife, and hear the angels sing.” It seems that Sears was writing not only of his time, but for ours, also.
The angels came, and they sang, “Peace on earth, good will to men from heaven’s all-gracious King.” Where else are we to get peace and good will? Our hearts filled with jealousy, envy, and pride make little provision for “Peace on earth, good will to men.” Our source of peace and good will lies in the love of our Father God and in the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus. They have given all so that we could experience peace and good will. They have made it available to us, and it is up to us to ensure that with our actions and our words, we receive peace on earth. There is great joy in the gift of our Savior, Jesus, and that joy needs to shine through us every day. By living in the joy of Christ, we can offer peace and good will to those we encounter on a daily basis. In fact, we are told to do so in Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” It does depend upon us, so let us let the joy of Christmas jump forth from our words and actions this Christmas season.
