Few songs capture the spirit of Christmas like Adeste Fideles, known in English as O Come, All Ye Faithful. Music has a unique power to draw us in and breakdown barriers. In history, it has even crossed front lines in the trenches of war.
An Extraordinary Christmas in 1914
During Christmas of 1914, something remarkable unfolded on the battlefields of World War I. On Christmas Eve, a miracle of humanity occurred along the Western Front. Soldiers entrenched in mud and misery began hearing carols drifting from the enemy lines. They responded with songs of their own, some with the same melodies sung in different tongues. Yearning for home and mourning lost comrades, countless soldiers chose to create their own ceasefire.
British soldier Graham Williams later recalled:
“First the Germans sang one of their carols, and then we answered with one of ours. When we began ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful,’ the Germans immediately joined in, singing the Latin words ‘Adeste Fideles.’ I thought, this is truly extraordinary—two nations united in song in the midst of war.”
As dawn broke, rifles were set aside. Men who had been enemies only hours before exchanged greetings, shared food and cigarettes, and even worked together to bury the fallen who had lain between the trenches.
One British soldier reflected, “If it had been left to us, not another shot would have been fired.”
At Christ’s birth, angels proclaimed “peace on earth,” not to rulers, but to ordinary people. Centuries later, those ordinary soldiers did not hear angels, but they heard each other singing songs of peace and goodwill.
Christmas Blessings
We are reminded that Jesus came into this broken world and became our Savior. As we reflect on the meaning of Christmas and peace on earth, your Nussbaum family would like to wish you a Merry Christmas. Slow down, enjoy the time with family, and remember that God is near.
Merry Christmas!
