As the Bethlehem babe was born in humble surroundings in the silence of a starlit night, so the dawn of a spiritual idea appears meekly and quietly in the thought of the watcher and listener. It is felt as a gentle presence, bringing peace. The peace so often felt in the world at the Christmas season is in reality present at all times, everywhere, for all who understand its true origin and the healing it brings.
In the ninth chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the dimness and darkness of the human battleground where good and evil seem to strive. He draws a sharp distinction between the struggles of mortals in the flesh, where every battle is "with confused noise," ending in annihilation, and the dawn of the light of truth, which is to come with the expected Messiah, under whose government peace and righteousness are to be established. "For," writes the prophet, "unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
In an age when it seems difficult to choose the way of wisdom, or even to recognize which is the lesser of two evils in human affairs, there can be no promise of greater comfort and relief than that of the coming of one at whose feet every burden can be laid, and who is willing and able to take "the government... upon his shoulder."
