A most endearing story and one that I enjoy revisiting happened ninety six years ago in a foreign land. I remember the time I'd learned of this miraculous event, I sat reading alone in my dorm room at Houston Baptist University. The book, Silent Night by Weintrab, laid across my pillow and captured every strand of my attention and wound it into a taut ball of anticipation. Weintrab's words performed their miracle, of allowing me to experience the Christmas Truce of 1914 right there sprawled out on my little twin bed in Houston, Texas.The British and German soldiers along the front in Belgium could see each other easily. They observed the other preparing to celebrate the same tradition...Christmas. In each others' trenches, candles, sprigs, and songs poured like honey...a song of a shining star on a silent night reached the ears of all on that now silent night. The soldiers slept that night knowing in their hearts a truce had been called.
Christmas morning, signs went up in crude English, "We no fight, you no fight," and then the most dangerous death filled place of the war, No Man's Land, became All Man's Land, where the two sides bared arms, arms full of beer, cakes, chocolate, sausages and tobacco.
The Christmas Truce of 1914 is the happy part of the story. The words that I read later tore me apart and even today when I think about the events that unfolded ninety six years ago my heart still aches and tears still cascade my cheeks. Because you see, the soldiers were done. They wanted a real truce. They learned that night that despite the differences of where they lived, the languages they spoke, that ultimately we are all human and have the desire to live.
Scores of soldiers on both sides refused to shoot at each other again. Some men did obey the order to fire, but only into the air. They had to be transferred to other parts of the war. They were put into different units, placed upon the front in areas where the Christmas Truce had not been observed...they were forced to continue the war.
Some celebrate Christmas and some do not. Whether you do or don't, you can not deny the awesome power of the Christmas Spirit. A belief of peace, a moment of mercy, a period of hope...this same spirit that halted a war ninety six years ago lives in me and could live in you as well, all you have to do is BELIEVE. Merry Christmas.
