It’s been a hard couple of years, hasn’t it? As a nation, we’ve been through a lot. I know you have been through a lot too. It’s been tempting to throw up our hands in despair. Our current cultural mood reminds me of the old classic Christmas poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christmas Bells. The 6th verse reads like it was written today instead of in 1864.

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!”
Thankfully Mr. Longfellow didn’t end his poem in a gloomy
way. The final verse reads:
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.”

That’s right, Mr. Longfellow. God is not dead, nor is He sleeping. He knows what we’ve gone through and what we’re
going through. Christmas reminds us afresh that all is not lost. No matter what is going on around us, we can have a Merry Christmas because God sent His only Son to die for us. Instead of throwing our hands up in despair, let’s throw them up in praise.  As another poet (me!) wrote:

Merry Christmas everyone
God sent His only Son
For God so loved you and me
A Merry Christmas it’s gonna be
A Merry Christmas it’s gonna be
For God so loved you and me.