A holiday story for today’s world.
On Christmas Day in 1864, American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the words to one of the most beloved carols, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Amid personal loss and a nation at war, he heard the church bells of Cambridge in Washington, DC —a sound that reminded him of hope. Though his heart wrestled with sorrow, the words in his final verse rose to proclaim a truth that still echoes today:
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.
This season, let those words fill your heart with joy. The message of Christmas is unchanged: hope was born in a manger, and that hope lives on. Take time to cherish family, celebrate blessings, and remember the true reason for the season—the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
From our family to yours, may God bless you all and Merry Christmas!