A Pause In Advent #4

Today’s theme – PEACE.

I seem to have rather a lot of Christmas decorations with a peace theme, so I shall punctuate Longfellow’s Poem, and St Francis’ Prayer with pictures of them…

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

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.”

 

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

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love;
Where there is injury your pardon, Lord;
And where there's doubt true faith in you.

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there's despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light;
And where there's sadness, ever joy.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
In giving to all men that we receive;
And in dying that we're born to eternal life

I know that I live my life at speed – always trying to ‘fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run’ [Bob accuses me sometimes of trying to get even more than 60-seconds-worth in!] I often struggle to do nothing, just to be. I cannot bear to think I have wasted time. But even in my busy, jam-packed life, I can know the Peace That Passes Understanding. Whatever is happening round me, God is in control – and that’s enough.

And I pray too that I will be a channel of His peace to the people round me. Jesus said…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”