When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow, we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago, and etched on vacant places are half-forgotten faces of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know.”
–Ella Wheeler Wilcox
“And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar.”
–Zechariah 14:20(ESV)
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“Hark! how the bells, sweet silver bells
All seem to say ‘throw cares away.’
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old, meek and the bold
Christmas is here, bringing good cheer….”
–Peter J. Wilhousky
This is not one of my favorite Christmas carols, but there is a message here. Bells! Bells used to be commonplace. They were used by communities to let the people know the time. They were used to notify of emergencies–when the bells rang the community rushed to answer the call. In fact, a symbol of our country is the Liberty Bell. And right now, let me include here–the ringing of a bell does not mean that an angel has earned their wings.
I read something the other day by Thomas Merton. I don’t not agree with all of his theology, nor with all of his perspectives on life, but I do like what he wrote regarding bells.
“Bells are meant to remind us that God alone is good, that we belong to Him, that we are not living for this world.
They break in upon our cares in order to remind us that all things pass away and that our preoccupations are not important.
They speak to us of freedom, which responsibilities and transient cares make us forget.
They are the voice of our alliance with the God of heaven.
The bells say: business does not matter. Rest in God and rejoice, for this world is only the figure and the promise of a world to come, and only those who are detached from the transient things can possess the substance of eternal promise.
The bells say: we have spoken for centuries from the towers of the great churches. We have spoken to the saints, your fathers, in their land. We called them, as we call you, to sanctify.”
Hmmm, perhaps instead of just hearing the bells ring, we should take to heart that last phrase. When we hear the bells ringing we ought to think about our sanctification before the Lord. Does it ring loud and clear or is there just a dull thud?
When I was thinking of the bells and how I might write about them, the first thing that came to my mind was the great poem by John Donne.
“No man is an island,
Entire of itself…
For whom the bells tolls,
It tolls for thee.”
It tolls, the bells ring, for thee. Ahh, but what are they saying? Are they waking you up in the morning? Perhaps it is the last bell of the night watch telling you that day is over. Usually when we hear bells ring there is a positive note, but as I said they may bring a warning that there is a dire need. When the bells toll for you are they ringing out their last warning? Today is the day of salvation.
Do the bells ring, “Peace on Earth”? Or are they clinging in despair, “There is no peace on Earth.” Listen carefully for bells call forth beginnings, but also endings. They can call to order, remember the old pictures of school teachers ringing the bell to get students to class? They can bring a command or a warning. Bells can symbolize birth, death, or marriage. Or it can be a summons. When my Mom broke her foot we gave her a bell to ring whenever she needed something; let me tell you, I don’t think that bell stopped ringing. What do you hear?
“Then rang 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.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
——————————-
“Hark! how the bells, sweet silver bells
All seem to say ‘throw cares away.’
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old, meek and the bold
Christmas is here, bringing good cheer….”
–Peter J. Wilhousky
This is not one of my favorite Christmas carols, but there is a message here. Bells! Bells used to be commonplace. They were used by communities to let the people know the time. They were used to notify of emergencies–when the bells rang the community rushed to answer the call. In fact, a symbol of our country is the Liberty Bell. And right now, let me include here–the ringing of a bell does not mean that an angel has earned their wings.
I read something the other day by Thomas Merton. I don’t not agree with all of his theology, nor with all of his perspectives on life, but I do like what he wrote regarding bells.
“Bells are meant to remind us that God alone is good, that we belong to Him, that we are not living for this world.
They break in upon our cares in order to remind us that all things pass away and that our preoccupations are not important.
They speak to us of freedom, which responsibilities and transient cares make us forget.
They are the voice of our alliance with the God of heaven.
The bells say: business does not matter. Rest in God and rejoice, for this world is only the figure and the promise of a world to come, and only those who are detached from the transient things can possess the substance of eternal promise.
The bells say: we have spoken for centuries from the towers of the great churches. We have spoken to the saints, your fathers, in their land. We called them, as we call you, to sanctify.”
Hmmm, perhaps instead of just hearing the bells ring, we should take to heart that last phrase. When we hear the bells ringing we ought to think about our sanctification before the Lord. Does it ring loud and clear or is there just a dull thud?
When I was thinking of the bells and how I might write about them, the first thing that came to my mind was the great poem by John Donne.
“No man is an island,
Entire of itself…
For whom the bells tolls,
It tolls for thee.”
It tolls, the bells ring, for thee. Ahh, but what are they saying? Are they waking you up in the morning? Perhaps it is the last bell of the night watch telling you that day is over. Usually when we hear bells ring there is a positive note, but as I said they may bring a warning that there is a dire need. When the bells toll for you are they ringing out their last warning? Today is the day of salvation.
Do the bells ring, “Peace on Earth”? Or are they clinging in despair, “There is no peace on Earth.” Listen carefully for bells call forth beginnings, but also endings. They can call to order, remember the old pictures of school teachers ringing the bell to get students to class? They can bring a command or a warning. Bells can symbolize birth, death, or marriage. Or it can be a summons. When my Mom broke her foot we gave her a bell to ring whenever she needed something; let me tell you, I don’t think that bell stopped ringing. What do you hear?
“Then rang 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.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow