We just attended my daughter’s middle school Christmas choir concert the other night. Most of you already know that I am a Christmas music freak. I love listening to Christmas music and especially listening to young ones sing it. It just brings out the best of the holiday season to me.

This year the song that really hit me was not an a’ cappella arrangement of “O Holy Night” or “Joy to the World”, it was a song I had never heard before. I’ve listed the lyrics for you below. It was originally written and performed by Jeff Meegan and can be found on his album: “Season of Love”.

Bring Them Home
(Jeff Meegan, Brad Hatfield)

All Around the world tonight
Hopes and Dreams are all the same
That those we love far out of sight
Be here on Christmas Day

Bring them home
Bring them home
My wish would be
That there will be peace
To bring them home
To their families please
That’s all I want this Christmas

If you believe that miracles do come true
Each and every day
Then all around us hope is found
And love can do
A miracle today

Bring them home
Bring them home
My wish would be
That there will be peace
To bring them home
To their families please
That’s all I want this Christmas

I was not the only parent wiping tears from their eyes at the end of this song. It just really hit me.

I look back over history, and sadly cannot find many Christmases that have not had some kind of war or “military action” taking place, if not here at least somewhere in the world. “Peace on Earth” – is this something that we can ever achieve?

Even worse, most wars have some link to religion – an area where peace should be of the utmost priority. Christians, Jews, Muslims, there’s probably even a Buddhist out there that has managed to twist that extremely peaceful philosophy into a reason to fight for something.

Because that is what has happened, religions have gotten twisted. The goals and ideals that each have begun with have been taken by man (usually just a few with delusions of grandeur) and used in a way that means power for the few. Then those few sit back and reap the benefits of control and rule while the common man fights for what they have been led to believe is a spiritual path.

So is Peace on Earth impossible then? I don’t believe so. I see too much good in man to believe that. Yes, there is cruelty in this world, but there is also kindness and love. We have to learn to stop dividing ourselves, though; stop labeling and “identifying”. We are mankind.

It is “Peace on Earth, good will to man”, not “peace on Earth, good will to South Africans but not to Ethiopians” or “good will to Palestine but not Israel”. Peace for ALL men, women, and children – especially the children. If we could just teach them not to hate, not to discriminate, not to be like us – oh what a Christmas we could have!

Take just one step this Christmas, go out of your way and make peace with one person. It is not easy, but the great things never are. Let go of one prejudicial idea you’ve had – just acknowledging one prejudiced thought is a step in the right direction. Pray for the soldiers to come home, not just ours – but for the worlds’. Because even our “enemies” have children who pray for their daddies to come home at night.