–George Sheffield “there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.“ (Rev 8:1) Coming home from church Christmas day, I noticed that 99.99% of Gray was shut down.
Stores closed, parking lots empty. Quiet. Almost like a ghost town.
At Christmas 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war, both the French and German soldiers began singing O Holy Night, and a temporary truce occurred. No fighting.
On Christmas Eve 1914, in WW1, British and German troops began singing Christmas carols and a Christmas truce occurred with both sides meeting in “no man’s land” to celebrate, even ignoring the orders of their officers to stop. No fighting.
In WW2, during the Battle of the Bulge, a handful of American and German soldiers ate a peaceful Christmas Eve meal together at a godly German woman’s home.
No weapons were allowed in the house. The next morning, Christmas day, all the soldiers went their way. No fighting.
The birthday of Jesus temporarily shuts down the world, even wars. For no other person, past or present--not political leaders, not religious leaders, not entertainers-- does the world shut down to celebrate a birthday. But it happens with Christmas, the day we celebrate the Lord Jesus‘ birth. Every year.
Year after year. And one day Jesus will return.
Then the world will forever shut down evil.
No temporary truces, but a permanent cessation of wickedness. And for eternity we will celebrate Jesus.
