Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned a gripping Civil War Christmas Carol that spoke about the evil and hatred of that day as well as the promise that God would ultimately prevail. Today, we sing his song without the last two stanzas, a classical Christmas tune birthed from a heart in despair.

There are so many Christmas Carols that I enjoy and am glad to learn what was going through the composer’s mind when he or she wrote the lyrics long ago. One song, I Heart the Bells on Christmas Day, was written by that great poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and has been sung regularly he penned it on December 25, 1864.

Yes, Longfellow’s epic carol was written on Christmas Day as it was a tribute to the temporary peace between warring union and confederate troops. On that day, both sides called a one day truce in the bloodiest war fought on our soil, with only the peals of church bells breaking the silence.

Inspired, Longfellow wrote the following words which properly spoke of his personal despair while reminding everyone that even in the midst of hatred and war, God will prevail:

“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!

Then from each black accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
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!”

Originally titled Christmas Bells, the last two stanzas were dropped after the war ended and peace prevailed.

Personally, knowing that the final two stanzas were the foundation for the song explains to me why Longfellow wrote what he did and the anguish in his soul mixed with the hope of the cross that stirred his heart that day.

For more information about the events surrounding Longfellow’s classic work, please visit What Saith the Scripture? for those details.

Photo Credit: Simeon Eichmann

I enjoy Christian music in its many forms, which includes mostly everything from the liturgical to the contemporary. Though I’m not likely to utter a Georgian chant, I admire the many different forms of worship that is expressed by the Body of Christ, marveling at the scope and breadth of believers from around the world and down through the ages.

Contemporary Christian Music

I have a fairly good grasp of the origin of what is known as CCM — Contemporary Christian Music — having listened to Larry Norman (the father of Christian rock), Keith Green, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Mylon Le Fevre and others from a generation ago proclaim God’s goodness through songs employing a modern beat.

These days, Christian music has changed and I can honestly say that I like a lot of what I’m hearing. There was a period during the late 1980s to late 1990s when there just didn’t seem to be too many artists with a strong heart for God, though Steve Camp, Steve Green, Twila Paris and a handful of others I found to be particularly inspiring.

One CD given to me recently by my wife, The Best of Passion (So Far), has been getting a lot of playtime from me lately as I find myself listening to it in the car or at home. A collection of 30 songs — the two disc CD contains music from a variety of artists including the David Crowder Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Candi Pearson Shelton, Kristian Stanfill, and others. Many of the songs we sing at church while others I have heard on Christian music radio stations, particularly K-LOVE.

The Passion Conferences

The album is from the Passion Conferences, a movement of college students that began in 1995 under the banner of CHOICE Ministries. Birthed at Baylor University, the movement has spread across the country and is now global, encouraging believers to hold fast to Isaiah 26:8 — Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Those who are involved with the Passion Conferences are called the 268 Generation, a term pointing to that verse in Isaiah.

Music, of course, is a big part of the Passion Conferences and out of these conferences quite a few CDs have been produced. The “Best of” CD encompasses music from the first nine CDs produced, with three more having been released since its 2006 debut. I must say that I have never hear a more generous collection of quality Christian songs put together in one package as this CD offers. I find it a treat when you can get 12 good songs, but when you find 30 the blessings are abundant!

I haven’t included a sample of the music here, rather I encourage you to explore what Passion Conferences is all about and to hear some of these tunes yourself by clicking the links located in the fourth and fifth paragraph above.  I hope that you find the music to be uplifting, worshipful music for Lord Jesus Christ.