Peace on Earth
It was war time, but a 12-year-old-boy and his mother were managing a relatively peaceful existence in a small country cottage near the German-Belgian border. On Christmas Eve this peacefulness was disrupted when three American soldiers appeared at their front door. These men were armed, desperate, freezing to death and wounded. The woman was well aware that sheltering enemy troops was high treason, but it was Christmas Eve, so she invited them in and tended their wounds.
Shortly after there was another knock on the door. The woman opened the door and faced two German soldiers. Though she knew they could very well shoot her for breaking the rules of war, she took a chance. With the authoritative voice that only a mother can wield, she told the hungry Germans that there would be no killing that night.
Mother and son went ahead and prepared the chicken they had been fattening up for their Christmas meal, willing to share with their unexpected guests. The American and German soldiers politely handed their weapons over to the young woman and peacefully enjoyed a meal together to celebrate Christmas.
On Christmas morning, the German soldiers directed the American soldiers back to their lines, telling them how to avoid all the areas that the Nazis had recaptured.
His story sounds unbelievable, except for the young boy who grew up to tell of his Christmas experience, and one of the soldiers who verified the boy’s account of the story.
A pastor once instructed her congregation to be sure and “carve up the turkey, but not each other” during this Christmas holiday. This seems like an odd exhortation, but in a culture of numerous broken homes and high stress levels, it bears repeating.
The man whose birthday is honored at Christmas time, gave two instructions for people, one of which was to “love your neighbor as yourself”. It wasn’t intended just for the Christmas holiday, but is applicable just the same.
The enemy soldiers, who peacefully enjoyed a Christmas meal together, were a glorious example of what “peace on earth and good will to all men” looks like in the real world.
Here’s wishing you a blessed Christmas while enjoying a turkey that’s carved, with happy family and friends who are not.
Read more by Joan on her page kindersleysocial.ca/webarchive/joan
