Scripture: Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
Thought for the Day: I wish to remind you of what happened in the middle of war, 1914. It was trench warfare during WWI, and on Christmas Eve of that year an unexpected happening occurred. As the German troops faced the French and British troops, they heard the voice of a young German soldier singing “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” (what we know as Silent Night). Other Germans joined him. Once the Germans were done with their song, the British and French responded with their own Christmas Carols.
Eventually, the men from both sides left their trenches and met in the middle. They shook hands, exchanged gifts, and shared pictures of their families. In the dark of night, a soccer game began in what had been “no-man’s-land.” A joint service was held to bury the dead in which both sides prayed for all who had fallen. The generals, of course, were not pleased with these events. Men who have come to know each other’s names and seen each other’s families are much less likely to want to kill each other. War seems to require a nameless, faceless enemy. In the days that followed, the soldiers from both sides fired aimlessly toward the sky so as not to hit their new made friends. Though it didn’t last for long, it is a great reminder how knowing our enemy changes the circumstance, and if our enemy knows us–really knows us–it will make it difficult for him/her to hurt us.
Prayer: As you know us, O Lord of the Nativity, teach us to know others, so that in time, we may call them sisters and brothers. Amen.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
