The time was World War I December 24, 1914. It’s the first Christmas of a global conflict that would last four years, and eventually claim ten million lives. But, on this Christmas Eve night, a most unusual and wondrous thing occurred: Battle-weary men in one trench began singing (in German):
“Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright!”
The enemy, in the opposite trench, answered by singing (in English):
“The First Noel, the Angels did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay!”
At first light on Christmas morning, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. For the next twenty-four hours, guns ceased their firing, cannons ceased their booming. The Spirit of Christ became all-pervasive! Peace reigned amidst scenes of carnage! Foes became friends! All along the Western line, soldiers found their enemies were much like them and began asking why they should be trying to kill each other. Soldiers in gray and khaki shared gestures of good-will. They exchanged gifts of tobacco, jam, sausage, plum pudding and chocolate, and traded names and addresses. Some lit Christmas trees around their trenches. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer between the shell holes and barbed wire in “no-man’s-land.”
The incident is prophetic of that wondrous day when Jesus, “the Prince of Peace,” will return to our war-wrecked, sin-laden world as “Lord of lords and King of kings!” Then prophecy will become history: “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Micah 4:3). The heart-cry of God’s children around the world is this: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
—Ron Metheny, "'Twas The Devotional Before Christmas"
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