Dec. 25—As we wrap up the Christian season of Advent and celebrate Christmas, let’s not confuse the current crisis in Israel with the land of Judea in Jesus’ time.
Certainly, there are comparisons between the deaths of innocents in the Israel-Hamas war and the massacre of innocents ordered by King Herod. Such deaths are to be condemned. We should never dismiss those tragedies nor ignore their impact on future generations.
But we who live in this era can turn to Christian hymns, perhaps, to seek comfort in troubled times.
The Israel mentioned in “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” a Latin verse that was written in modern language in the 1850s, speaks of the land where people are longing for the arrival of a savior. Until that birth, the world waits in “exile.” The birth would provide the “ransom” to set humans free. Once ransomed, as found in Isaiah 35:10, there will be rejoicing.
Then there’s “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Now located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Bethlehem is under Palestinian control. Christian leaders there have said they will cut back on Christmas activities this year. While that decision can be hard for Americans to fathom while living in a Western country not torn apart by war, it may be also an action based on tourism as the town usually has people flocking to it this month. Few visitors are seen this season.
Leaders there, and around the world, can be reminded of the light found in the night of Jesus’ birth. The hymn finds, “Yet in thy dark streets shineth/The everlasting light/The hopes and fears of all the years/Are met in thee tonight.”
Let’s try one more. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” vividly addresses the futility that life often presents. “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.”
The singer is then saved from the gloom by listening to church bells ringing with joyful news of peace on earth.
Singing a hymn won’t resolve the crisis in the Middle Eeast nor the darkness that many of us experience this December. There are horrors to which we cannot turn a blind eye.
Yet despite the tragedy of the Israel-Hamas war and the calamities and catastrophes of our individual lives, there is hope.
That is the message of these hymns. That is the message of Christmas.
Hope is as alive today as it was for those awaiting Jesus’ birth.