Do You Hear What I Hear?
by Rev Bonnie James
This is a difficult Christmas in our world once again – we seem to be having a lot of them in recent years. The situation Ukraine, in Gaza, in Congo, in Ethiopia, and on and on. Violence fills our newsfeeds. “A historic rise in global conflict deaths,” said headlines last summer, even before the troubles this fall.
The familiar Christmas carol, Do You Hear What I Hear? was written by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker as a prayer for peace in 1962 as the world faced the threat of nuclear escalation. It echoes just as poignantly today.
First, it provides a focus on children. The arrival of Christ as a child is top of mind during this season, but if we look a little deeper into the lyrics, we see a shivering child and also a child that is our future. The suffering of children in our world is still overwhelming and unbearable. While we have made such great strides in technology and medicine, still our most vulnerable suffer. We should be able to agree that children are to be protected, but they continue to be collateral damage.
All children, not just the Christ Child, are the future. They will make the world that is to come. They will be taking care of us all. By creating a generation haunted and scarred by war, we damage our own future.
It sometimes feels that all we can do is pray for peace.
There is hope though. The structure of this song takes us from the night wind, to the lamb, to the shepherd boy, to the king, to all the people. An idea, a prayer, whispered to the sky, to a friend, to your family, to your workplace, or to your governing officials can gather strength.
Do you hear what I hear? In fact, if you listen, you will hear those calls for peace from all sorts of people. Some from people right in the thick of the violence and others from the outside looking in. We can amplify their voices.
Though we may feel like the night wind, sighing into the ear of the lamb, that prayer can reverberate out into the world. It can inspire kindness and gentleness. It can provide comfort to others who are also troubled by the global violence we are witnessing. And it can join other similar prayers and rise to become a voice as big as the sea. Seeking out opportunities to pray with others can both heal your soul and inspire you to greater action.
As we prepare for the coming of Christ as a child, think of the other children of our world – each precious, each a miracle. Let that inspire us to become more peaceful in our own lives. It takes effort. It’s much easier to reflect back into the world all the negativity that we see. To make a peaceful choice when confronted by violence, or rudeness and selfishness is an ongoing struggle. We must continue to strive for goodness and light. During Advent, collect your thoughts and prepare your voice. After the celebration of the arrival of Christ, our work begins again.
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
