Christmas is supposed to be a time of great rejoicing, yet for many, I know it will be a time of great sorrow. As we gather with our family and friends, let us remember the families and all the people involved with the terrible tragedy in Connecticut. As we were singing a few carols the other night, a couple of lines from two of my favorites stood out like never before. One was in "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Longfellow was no stranger to grief. He lost his dear wife Fanny in a tragic accident, then his son suffered a crippling injury while fighting in the Civil War. In verse 3 he writes.........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." verse 4.......Yet 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." He actually wrote this on Christmas day, 1864. My favorite Christmas hymn will always be "O Holy Night". I love the line.......Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. Then my favorite passage of scripture, with the hope of what's to come for those who trust in Christ..............."He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4 Our prayers are with you.
December 24, 2012
A Christmas prayer..........
Christmas is supposed to be a time of great rejoicing, yet for many, I know it will be a time of great sorrow. As we gather with our family and friends, let us remember the families and all the people involved with the terrible tragedy in Connecticut. As we were singing a few carols the other night, a couple of lines from two of my favorites stood out like never before. One was in "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Longfellow was no stranger to grief. He lost his dear wife Fanny in a tragic accident, then his son suffered a crippling injury while fighting in the Civil War. In verse 3 he writes.........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." verse 4.......Yet 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." He actually wrote this on Christmas day, 1864. My favorite Christmas hymn will always be "O Holy Night". I love the line.......Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. Then my favorite passage of scripture, with the hope of what's to come for those who trust in Christ..............."He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4 Our prayers are with you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting Cooking with the Cooks! We value your comments as we are constantly updating and improving our site. To make a public comment which, after approved may be open to the web, click "Post Comment". To make a private comment, suggestion, or a "Site Eyes*" comment, please click here to contact us. Thank You!
* We try to make sure all content is correct, but if you see an error, please let us know so we can fix it. Thank You.