The peace of Christmas

One hundred years ago, on 24 December 1914, the Great War had already claimed a million lives. But on that Christmas Eve, gunfire fell silent on both sides of the trenches.

Each side plucked up enough courage to bob their heads above ground, and slowly come out of their trenches into no man’s land. Eventually, men from the British and German forces met to exchange greetings and give whatever they had as gifts. A football was found, and a friendly match spontaneously broke out between the sides. On that day, there was peace.

This encounter is depicted in UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s stirring Christmas advertising campaign, made in partnership with the Royal British Legion. Private Frederick W. Heath wrote this account:

Back somewhere in England, the fires were urning in cosy rooms. I leaned against the side of the trench, and, looking through my loophole, fixed weary eyes on the German trenches.

Still looking and dreaming, my eyes caught a flare in the darkness, light after light sprang up along the German front. Then quite near our dug-outs, so near as to make me start and clutch my rifle, I heard a voice: ‘English soldier, English soldier, a merry Christmas, a merry Christmas!’

Officers, fearing treachery, ordered the men to be silent. But how could we resist wishing each other a merry Christmas? So we kept up a running conversation with the Germans, all the while our hands ready on our rifles.

Came the dawn, pencilling the sky with grey and pink. Under the early light we saw our foes moving recklessly about on top of their trenches. Here, indeed, was courage; no seeking the security of the shelter but a brazen invitation to us to shoot and kill with deadly certainty. But did we shoot? Not likely! We stood up ourselves and called [blessings] on the Germans. Then came the invitation to fall out of the trenches and meet half way. Jumping up onto the parapet, [small groups of men] advanced to meet the oncoming Germans. Out went the hands and tightened in the grip of friendship. Christmas had made the bitterest foes friends.

What is the mystery of Christmas that seems to transcend all else? It’s bigger than its traditions, it’s bigger than enmity, it’s even bigger than war. The spirit of peace is more powerful than gunpowder. Its love is more powerful than the grave.

At Christmas, we remember the Christ child who calls us into a relationship with God. At his birth, angels sang: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him (Luke 2:12-14, CEV).

Jesus, the Christ-child, grew up to be a profound teacher. His teachings were so subversively powerful that he was put to death by the authorities. But in a miracle that changed the history of humanity, he came back to life.

The first words Jesus spoke when he re-appeared were: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27). Jesus showed us that to know God and his peace, we just need to know Jesus.

As Private Heath finishes his account of the Christmas Truce of WWI, he notes that ‘we are back once more to the ordeal of fire’. A century later, and our world is still at war.

But during this fragile moment in history, we get a glimpse of the true, transcendent peace that the Christ-child can offer us. He has come to heal our hearts and comfort us in our fears.

To know this peace, all we need to do is take a step of faith, to step out of our trenches and off er out our hand to God. He is already off ering his hand of friendship out to us.

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by Ingrid Barratt (c) 'War Cry' magazine, Christmas edition 2014, pp3.
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