For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindess shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. Isaiah 54:10
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
We learn from Isaiah that peace is a special gift that is with us even in hard times. Jesus repeated this in the book of John on one of his last teachings to the disciples before his crucifixion. If this promise was repeated in both the Old and the New Testament, you know that it was important. It is just as important to us today as it was to the people living during this time.
On the second Sunday of Advent, we sing a song of peace. Our world is full of turmoil, but we are so blessed to have this promise of peace. I have picked three of my favorite carols to sing this week as we celebrate the peace that surpasses all understanding.
My favorite peaceful hymn is probably one of yours, Silent Night. Silent Night was written in 1818, for the Christmas Eve service at the Church of Saint Nicholas in the Austrian Alps. The organ in the church didn’t work, and Father Joseph Mohr, who was in charge, quickly wrote the lyrics for a new song that could be sung without the organ. That night, Silent Night was sung accompanied only by a guitar. Word spread about this beautiful song and singing groups began performing it at festivals across the region. It was published in a German hymnal and was used in German speaking congregations in the United States. It first appeared in a book of American Sunday School Songs in 1863. And we have loved it ever since! I think my favorite performance was done by Bing Crosby. He had such a peaceful voice.
O Little Town of Bethlehem is another one of my favorite peaceful hymns. This hymn was written in 1868 by an American, an Episcopalian minister from Philadelphia, named Phillip Brooks. On one of his sabbaticals, Phillip traveled to the Holy lands, and made a special journey to Bethlehem on horseback! He spent Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The worshipers spent hours singing hymns celebrating the birth of Jesus. Phillip was very moved by the experience. Several years after his trip, he decided to write a song for the children of his church to sing during Christmas about the little town that Jesus was born in. He wrote the lyrics and his church organist wrote the music. I’m not sure how this peaceful hymn spread all over America, but 1865 was the end of the Civil War and I wonder if America was looking for a peaceful way to celebrate Jesus’ birth
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day was written in 1864 by one of my favorite poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He is widely known for his poems Paul Revere’s Ride, The Song of Hiawatha, The Arrow and the Song, as well as so many others. He wrote I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day during a dark part of his life. His wife died in a fire and his young son ran away and joined Lincoln’s army during the Civil War. His son was sick and injured during the war and Henry came to the battlefront and nursed him back to health. On Christmas Eve, while tending to his son, he heard the church bells ringing above the roar of the cannons. This led to the writing of this beautiful poem that was eventually turned into the hymn we sing today. I love that it repeats Luke 2:14, peace on earth, good will toward men.
I find it fascinating that during some of the darkest days of our country, these great hymns of peace were written. The Bible tells us that peace will be with us and I love to imagine the baby in the manger peacefully sleeping on his first night on earth. I plan on singing these songs all week long as I search for peace in this hectic world.