The author of this Christmas hymn, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, faced some difficult times during his life.  In 1861, his wife tragically died when her dress caught on fire in their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Two years later, during some of the fiercest days of the Civil War, Henry’s seventeen year old son, Charley, ran away from home and boarded a train to join the army.  In June of 1863 Charley contracted typhoid fever and malaria and was sent home to recover.  By August he was well enough to return but on November 27, during a battle, he was shot through the left shoulder.  The bullet nicked his spine and came close to paralyzing him.  Upon hearing the news, Longfellow rushed to Washington to be with his son.  Finding him well enough to travel, he brought him back home.  There he sat by his son’s bedside, slowly nursing him back to health.  On Christmas Day Longfellow vented his feelings by penning the words of this Christmas carol which is best understood against the backdrop of the war.  Two verses are omitted from most hymnals because they speak of the thundering cannons and the hatred tearing apart “the hearthstones of a continent.”  The author feels like dropping his head in despair but then he hears the Christmas bells and is reminded that “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.”   And while the author was reflecting upon the times in which he lived, I believe the same can be said about the times in which we live.  Trouble, despair and even hatred can be seen all around and at times there seems to be no hope.  But God is not dead.  And while we will never see true peace and goodwill on earth until Christ returns, we can rest in the fact that God does provide personal peace to those who trust Him. And someday Jesus Christ will return and reign.  So as you see or hear Christmas bells during this season, be reminded that we can know and obey the God who is the only perfect peace giver.