In 1914, during what was, at the time, the most devastating war in human history, something remarkable happened.
On Dec. 25 of that year, the guns all up and down the Western Front went silent. Soldiers from both sides cautiously climbed out of the trenches and walked into no mans land bearing gifts for the enemy.
The men traded cigarettes and fruit, played football and for a day, the war was forgotten.
That is the power of Christmas.
It is sad that humanity hasn’t figured out how to extend that goodwill to the other 364 days of the year, but the reality is that our modern world is fraught with dangers that the soldiers of World War I could not have even comprehended.
While we may still be teetering on world conflict, the legacy and promise of Jesus Christ gives us the hope that one day humankind will learn to practice peace and love instead of paving more paths to destruction.
Jesus is the ultimate symbol of peace and love, and the American soldier is a defender of liberty. Without Jesus and the American soldier, this would be a far darker world.
We wish all in our community a wonderful, merry Christmas, and we urge all to say a special prayer for our men and women in uniform.
