Christmas 2024: December 12

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is one of America's most well-renowned poets. A direct descendent of the Pilgrims who established the Plymouth Colony in 1620, Longfellow grew up in a Puritan home and was well-educated. He became highly regarded as a writer and wrote one of our most popular Christmas hymns, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," amidst a war-torn nation after a trilogy of tragedies in his own life. As an adult, Longfellow left the faith of his parents for a common but false form of Christianity known as Unitarianism. Popular in 18th and 19th century America, Unitarianism highly regarded the moral teaching of Scripture while rejecting the Trinity and the Deity of Christ. It also promoted the idea of "free will," and could not accept the idea of a sovereign God over salvation or the world. Therefore, although Unitarianism might be "useful" in a carnal way as a temporary civic benefit to society, it offers no hope of salvation or encouragement to the grieving, which Longfellow could not escape.

Longfellow's first wife, Mary Potter, died from complications after a miscarriage in 1835. Then, in 1861, his second wife, Frances Appleton, died suddenly in a fire after a horrific accident. Still devasted by his loss, Longfellow was crushed less than two years later when, in November 1863, his son was severely wounded at the Battle of New Hope Church during the American Civil War while serving in the Army of the Potomac. Longfellow wrestled with the goodness of God and the emptiness of his false faith, but after hearing nearby church bells while caring for his son on Christmas Day, he penned the first poem he'd written since his late wife's death. It was later set to music in 1872 to the tune "Waltham" (one of the most popular tunes sung today and the version in our hymnals at High Point), then to "Mainzer" (the version in the video attached), and a few other versions since. Since 2008, though, the most popular version has been an interpolation of the original by the Christian pop band, Casting Crowns. Like most versions, however, the Casting Crown's rendition leaves out verses 4 and 5, which specifically invoke imagery of the War between the States.

Sadly, there is no record that indicates Longfellow ever truly returned to the faith of his Puritan heritage, or that he repented of his sin. We can be thankful, however, that we can be sure of the hope of having been justified by faith, we have everlasting peace with God (Rom 5:1) and can take comfort in the sovereign One who binds up the wounds of the broken-hearted (Ps 147:3).

It is important to remember that no matter how formidable our enemies are or how severe our trials, our Lord's very name is also an expression of His Divine love. Sadly, another prominent idea in early American history in the 18th and 19th centuries was a false form of Christianity known as Deism. This thought prevailed among America's founding fathers and was influential in Longfellow's home church as well. Not unlike today's theological liberalism, Deism embraced the moral principles of Scripture while rejecting the supernatural, which included God's direct involvement with His creation. In other words, it rejected the idea of Emmanuel - God with us as Isaiah 8 describes. In this passage, God is not only seen as our Protector (vss. 9-10), but the immediate application: we should not be afraid and should avoid worldly distractions. Revere God, whose holiness and sovereignty demand our worship (vss. 11-12). He is our sanctuary; His truth is unchanging, and how we respond to Him determines whether we find refuge and comfort, or judgment and death (vss. 13-18).