Peace on Earth

Bing Crosby with David Bowie sang “Peace on Earth Plus Little Drummer Boy” https://youtu.be/lCpXMy5GalI

Peace on Earth 世界有和平。

Bing Crosby 与 David Bowie 合唱 “人间和平加小鼓手男孩” https://youtu.be/lCpXMy5GalI

Christmas 2022 has come and gone. Another New Year is on the horizon. Just before we celebrate the New Year during these troubled times, let us bow our heads in prayer for the precious “peace on earth, goodwill to all,” to reign supreme in the coming year 2023.

“Heavenly Father,

“We pray for Your agape love to be instilled in us. We pray that we have properly understood the lessons from the past. We pray that the world will be peaceful and that the differences between factors can be resolved and misunderstandings eliminated. We pray for peace on earth and goodwill to all.

“In Jesus Name, Amen.”

2022 年圣诞节来了又去了。又一个新年即将来临。在这些困难时期庆祝新年之前，让我们低头祈祷珍贵的“人间和平，万物善意”，在即将到来的 2023 年掌权。
“天父，
“我们祈求你的无私的爱灌输给我们。我们祈祷我们正确地理解了过去的教训。我们祈祷世界将和平，并且可以解决因素之间的差异并消除误解。我们祈祷地球上的和平和对所有人的善意。
“奉耶稣的名，阿门。”

for KING & COUNTRY - Little Drummer Boy | LIVE from Phoenix https://youtu.be/5l1CS0Jhk90 This video is chosen here for the very reason that the lyrics of the Little Drummer Boy are heard above and beyond the chaotic beats of the many drums and the scrambled music that tries to distract us from the peace that we require.

为KING & COUNTRY - 小鼓手男孩|凤凰城直播 https://youtu.be/5l1CS0Jhk90 之所以选择此视频，是因为小鼓手男孩的歌词在许多鼓的混乱节拍和试图分散我们注意力的混乱音乐之外都能听到来自我们所需要的和平。

In his inaugural address of 1861, Abraham Lincoln said:

“Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions as to terms of (human dialogue) are again upon you.”

In spite of this speech, the civil war between the northern and the southern factions continued. The ‘battle’ for control of the US Government between the Republics and the Democrat’s still continue to this day. Back to the past, It was only when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated that the Americans woke up to their senses during that historical time.

尽管发表了这一讲话，但南北派系之间的内战仍在继续。共和党和民主党之间争夺美国政府控制权的“斗争”至今仍在继续。回到过去，直到亚伯拉罕·林肯总统遇刺身亡，美国人才在那个历史时期清醒过来。

Another War World I story retrieved from the archives should bring home the point that war should be prevented at all costs.

During the Christmas of 1914, World War I was on and the British soldiers were fighting the German counterparts in trenches about sixty yards from one another. They could see each other. They could hear each other.

Then on that Christmas Eve a wonderful thing happened. Both sides had gifts, gifts enough even to share. The British had all the plum puddings they wanted and the Germans had a surplus of tiny thirty inches Christmas trees. Someone began to sing, “Silent Night, Holy Night” and soon both sides sang the same song in the two languages.

Both sides came out of their respective trenches, exchanged gifts and for a moment there was a truce. They even cleared one patch of the ‘No Man’s Land” and played football together. How wonderful to have a time where no guns were fired; to have a truce.

从档案中检索到的另一个第一次世界大战的故事应该让人们明白，应该不惜一切代价阻止战争。

1914 年圣诞节期间，第一次世界大战正在进行，英国士兵在彼此相距约 60 码的战壕中与德国士兵作战。他们可以看到对方。他们能听到对方的声音。

然后在那个平安夜发生了一件奇妙的事情。双方都有礼物，礼物足以分享。英国人有他们想要的所有李子布丁，而德国人有多余的三十英寸的小圣诞树。有人开始唱“平安夜，圣夜”，很快双方就用两种语言唱起了同一首歌。

双方走出各自的战壕，交换礼物，暂时休战。他们甚至清理了一块“无人区”并一起踢足球。没有枪响的时光多么美好；休战。

But one German who did not join “Truce of 1914” celebration was a young corporal from the German camp named Adolf Hitler. He refused to fraternize. He said he did not believe in Christmas or in being friendly with the enemy so he stayed back.

If only someone had given this young corporal an explanation of the true meaning of Christmas and of ‘peace on earth and goodwill to mankind,’ and given him the agape love as illustrated by the Lord Jesus, World War II might not have a chance to start. Also, had the war ended then in 1914, Hitler would have remained an obscured corporal.

What is the moral of this story in today’s context? If only our leaders of today, especially leaders of Ukraine and Russia, leaders of USA and China, leaders of politically divided parties in any country) can make an attempt to understand one another’s anxieties and one another’s cultures, the so-called “enemies” may not be as “demonic” as they sound. For, the fact is that it is difficult to demonise an enemy who is much like us - ordinary humans.

但是没有参加“1914 年休战”庆祝活动的德国人是一位来自德国营地的年轻下士，名叫阿道夫·希特勒。他拒绝亲近。他说他不相信圣诞节或与敌人友好，所以他留在了后面。
如果有人能给这位年轻的下士解释圣诞节和“人间和平与善意”的真正含义，并给予他主耶稣所阐释的圣爱，二战可能就没有机会了开始。此外，如果战争在 1914 年结束，希特勒将仍然是一名默默无闻的下士。
在今天的背景下，这个故事的寓意是什么？如果我们今天的领导人，尤其是乌克兰和俄罗斯的领导人，美国和中国的领导人，任何国家的政治分裂政党的领导人）能够尝试了解彼此的焦虑和彼此的文化，即所谓的“敌人”可能不像听起来那么“恶魔”。因为，事实是很难妖魔化一个很像我们的敌人——普通人。

The Bible has this to say to us:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” – Matthew 5: 44.

圣经这样对我们说：
“爱你的敌人，祝福那些诅咒你的人，善待那些恨你的人，并为那些恶意利用你和迫害你的人祈祷。” – 马太福音 5：44。

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King Charles has used his first Christmas message to reflect on the cost-of-living crisis. He spoke of the “great anxiety and hardship” for those struggling to “pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm”. There were images of food banks and help for the homeless alongside the speech, recorded by the King in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. He paid tribute to his mother Queen Elizabeth, who is buried in the chapel. https://youtu.be/BBb8e538VLk

Land of hope and glory, mother of the free,
How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set.
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.

查尔斯国王在他的第一个圣诞节致辞中反思了生活成本危机。他谈到那些努力“支付账单并让家人吃饱和取暖”的人“非常焦虑和困难”。国王在温莎圣乔治教堂录制的演讲旁边有食物银行和帮助无家可归者的图片。他向埋葬在教堂里的母亲伊丽莎白女王致敬。 https://youtu.be/BBb8e538VLk

希望与荣耀之地，自由之母，
从你生的，我们怎能称颂你呢？
你的界限将越来越宽。
使你强大的上帝，让你更强大。
使你强大的上帝，让你更强大。