No Man's Christmas

Luke 2:10 -- "And the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people'; "

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The smell of sweat and wet dirt hung low to the earthen walls generating a stale kind of warmth. The air was filled with the pungent aroma of spent gun powder and blood. Just hours before - the Allied and German armies squared off across an empty patch of field known as No Man's Land. The impromptu space marked the gap between the enemy armies - both of which dug into the dirt like hiding insects.

The calendar on both sides of the line read December 24th, 1914.

As the stars began to twinkle to life and chase away the last remnants of dark blue twilight, all gun fire stopped. Generals stopped barking orders and soldiers stopped peeking out over the tops of the trenches to find a careless target. With their backs resting against damp earth and their weapons down at their sides - a timid, low song began to filter in through the barbed wire.

"Silent night. Holy night ..... "

Before long the entire front line on both sides of No Man's Land began to sing the cherished Christmas hymn. It didn't matter that the words were sung in different languages or that there was no music to play accompaniment out on the battle field. Each gruff and war-weary voice was offered in reverence, in peace, and in humility.

And while no official cease fire had been ordered by any of the political powers pulling the strings behind our first Great War - the soldiers in the trenches took it upon themselves to observe the one day each year when we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. They sung to each other from across the field deep into the cold night.

As the sun broke into a frosty morning on December 25th - a single German soldier breached the barrier and nervously stepped  into No Man's Land. He walked slowly and made a show that he was unarmed. A few of his comrades followed suit. After skeptically observing the small parade of enemy troops, a small group of allied trench-men clambered over the tall walls of their own dug-out and met the Germans face to face in the cold air.

A German soldier stretched out his hand and in deliberate English he said:  "Merry Christmas".

An Allied soldier took the outstretched hand, shook it firmly and in German replied: "Frohe Weinhachten". [Merry Christmas].

Not happy holidays. Not season's greetings.

Merry Christmas.

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Gifts of coffee, sweets, and cigarettes were exchanged between our Allied forces and the German troops. They even met in the middle of No Man's Land for a spirited and friendly game of football [soccer].

A very merry Christmas to all of you - as we celebrate a great joy that was given to all people. May our Savior's birth once again stop wars and bring people together face to face that they may see how very much we all have in common - and how very much we ALL need Jesus.