Christmas and bells go way back, at least back to the Civil War when Henry Longfellow penned the words to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” In this classic poem, Longfellow agonizes over the darkness of the war and the seeming contradiction with the peaceful sound of church bells ringing in the distance. Having suffered the loss of his own wife, and one of his sons fighting in the war, Henry struggles with the despair that he sees all around him and wonders how peace could ever come. As the bells from the church house ring on, the epiphany finally strikes Henry and his hope returns with these lyrics:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
with peace on earth, good will to men!

What Henry Longfellow realized is that, even in the darkest hour, hope is never truly lost. This is because the greatest hope of all was given to man 2,000 years ago in a manger. The bells that ring on Christmas Day symbolize the gift that God gave to the world, the Messiah Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” – John 3:16