Challenge Central: a CBC devotional
By: Roger Wood
For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Five years ago, and two weeks before Christmas, my wife Cheryll and I travelled to Barrie to visit our youngest daughter Cathy, her husband Mark and two of our grandchildren Sam and Mavis. As we drove north on highway 400 there was plenty of snow on the ground and more as we got closer to our destination. When we arrived later in the afternoon, we had an early supper and Cathy had arranged for all of us to visit the Simcoe County Museum just outside the city.
The museum is home to more than ten 19th century heritage buildings including a large log cabin, a train station, a one-room school house, blacksmith shop and a beautiful brick church. These pioneer structures have been relocated from various places in Simcoe County to the 327 acres of forested parkland.
We entered the main museum building, paid a small fee, and viewed the vast array of exhibits in the five gallery indoor displays.
As we headed outside, we climbed aboard a spacious horse-drawn sleigh. The scene in front of us was almost magical. In the still night, light snow had begun falling as the jingling horses pulled us along the fir lined pathways. Scores of oil lanterns on each side of the trails guided our way. Our first stop was an early settler church where we joined the choir along with many other people in singing carols.
Our last stop for the evening was a unique glimpse from the annals of history. We came to a large open field. Deep trenches lined with sandbags had been dug on opposite sides of the field. We were guided into one trench occupied by British soldiers. On the other side of the field were German soldiers. We witnessed the reenactment of the Christmas Truce that took place during World War 1, Dec. 25, 1914.
On Christmas Eve along a 20-mile stretch of the Western front, men from the British forces heard German troops in the opposite trenches singing carols. They also saw lanterns and small fir trees being displayed on top of the trenches. Both sides began shouting messages to each other and the following day the warring soldiers met with the understanding that “we won’t shoot if you don’t shoot”. They took photographs, exchanged handshakes, gifts and played impromptu games of football. Ceasefires were not observed everywhere and many officers were unhappy with the spontaneous truce and worried that it would undermine a fighting spirit. But for a brief moment in time, peace on earth and good will toward men was observed in scattered pockets within the killing fields of Europe.
Nearly 20 million died and entire empires vanished during the Great War. The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919 and established the League of Nations. People were jubilant. Nothing so terrible could ever happen again because the 28th of June was the day that a new history would begin.
Twenty years later on September, 1939 World War 2 began. There never really has been peace on earth at least in the sense we think of it. Wars and rumours of wars have characterized this world since the first Christmas as well as all the time before it. At the birth of Christ the angels pronounced peace on earth in Luke 2:14. They were speaking primarily of a very personal, individual application of God’s peace. It was a proclamation that God’s peace is available to men and women and God is pleased with the people who yield their lives to The Saviour.
Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah 9:7
