Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
History and Religion
Peace on Earth to People of Good Will!

Peace on Earth to People of Good Will!

Last updated on: December 25, 2025 at 5:02 pm by Dan Peterson

0 Comments

Peace on Earth to People of Good Will! 2025-12-25T17:02:02-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Honor be to God in the heights, and peace to people of good will on the Earth! He became human for the sake of humans, a king born in poverty, a child in order to defy the powerful.”
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Christ is the Morning Star,
who, when the night of this world is past,
gives to his saints the promise of the light of life,
and opens everlasting day.
– The Venerable Bede (d. 735 AD)

Because of his boundless love,
Jesus became what we are that he might make us to be what he is.
– St. Irenaeus (d. 202 AD)

First of all, I wish a wonderful Christmas to everybody out there. Including all of you Radical Left Scum. I hope that you’ve had a great day thus far, and that it will continue to be so. And, for those of you who live in places such as New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, please permit me — since it’s already too late for you this year — to be among the first to wish you a Merry Christmas for 2026.

A view in Oberndorf, in the Austrian state of Salzburg — birthplace of the Christmas carol “Silent Night” (Wikimedia Commons public domain image). Shown is the memorial to the composition of the carol.

I share with you something from President Jeffrey R. Holland (who, as I write, is spending the day in a hospital) to ponder on this Christmas Day:

“I submit that unless we see all the meaning and joy of Christmas the way old Simeon saw it all — the whole of Christ’s life, the profound mission, the end as well as the beginning — then Christmas will be just another day off work with food and fun and football, and a measure of personal loneliness and family sorrow for some. The true meaning, the unique, joyous meaning of the birth of this baby was not confined to those first hours in Bethlehem but would be realized in the life He would lead and in His death, in His triumphant atoning sacrifice and in His prison-bursting Resurrection. These are the realities that make Christmas joyful” (President Jeffrey R. Holland, at Pembroke College Chapel at the University of Oxford, 25 November 2018).

The artist James Jacques Joseph Tissot had spent considerable time in the Holy Land, and the accurate details in his work show that he had profited from his observations there.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Here are a couple of links to good reading about Christmas in the Deseret News:

Speaking of the Three Wise Men — or however many there are — today remains a very good time to watch the really superb eighteen-minute film The Christ Child: A Nativity Story. As I’ve said, I find one particular scene involving the “Wise Men,” the Magoi, particularly moving. Can you identify it? Will you agree?

More: A few days ago, I offered a few comments on “O Holy Night” as my selection of Christmas music for that particular day. Here is a good article in the Deseret News that offers some fascinating background information on that great carol: “The message of ‘O Holy Night’ was radical in 1847 — and perhaps still today: Confronting pride, while imploring humility and true love for all. It’s all still a bit much for many in 2025.”

And, while I’m at it, I call attention one last time to my own 2025 Meridian Magazine Christmas column: “Christmas Solves the Ultimate Question: Is the Universe Friendly?”

This replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s “Christus” stood in the rotunda of the North Visitor Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City until that building’s recent demolition. I assume that it will be returned to one of the buildings on Temple Square after the renovations there are complete. Not too long ago, an image of it was actually incorporated into the logo of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so it plainly isn’t being deemphasized.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)

One of the problems with my scheme of sharing daily Christmas music is that there simply aren’t enough days to share all of the Christmas music that I love and that moves me. In fact, there aren’t enough days from Thanksgiving through Christmas — those are the days in which I play Christmas music — to get through all of the Christmas CDs in our Christmas CD box. I do what I can, but time is finite. (That’s the story of life, right?)

J. S. Bach’s O Jesulein süss (“O, sweet little Jesus”) powerfully evokes the spirit of an old German Christmas, from back in the days when German-speaking Europe was still a more or less Christian region. I share with you a performance of the piece by the Zurich Chamber Singers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWuuT2-E0fE

O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild!
Deins Vaters Willn hast du erfüllt;
Bist kommen aus dem Himmelreich,
Uns armen Menschen worden gleich,
O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild!

O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild!
Mit Freuden hast du die Welt erfüllt,
Du kommst herab vom Himmelssaal,
Und tröst’st uns in dem Jammertal,
O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild!

O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild!
Du bist der Lieb ein Ebenbild,
Zünd an in uns der Liebe Flamm,
Dass wir dich lieben all zusamm’,
O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild!

Here, now, is a standard English translation of the text that I’ve somewhat modified in order to make it more accurately represent the original German, which has also had the unfortunate concomitant effect of rendering it less poetic, less regularly metrical, and rather more wooden:

O little Jesus sweet, O little Jesus mild,
thy Father’s will thou hast fulfilled;
thou cam’st from the Kingdom of Heav’n
equal to be with us poor men,
O little Jesus sweet, O little Jesus mild.

O little Jesus sweet, O little Jesus mild,
with joys thou hast the whole world filled;
thou camest here from heaven’s domain
to bring men comfort in sorrow’s vale,
O little Jesus sweet, O little Jesus mild.

O little Jesus sweet, O little Jesus mild,
thou art the image and likeness of love;
kindle in us the flame of love,
that we may love thee, all together,
O little Jesus sweet, O little Jesus mild.

Alpha Centauri and its surroundings (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

And here’s a bonus extra, regarding one of the new pieces of music that will be added to the new Latter-day Saint hymnal: “‘Star Bright’: A hymn of hope and looking to the Savior: Learn how Lorin F. Wheelwright’s hymn, inspired by the account of Samuel the Lamanite, helps believers reflect on Jesus Christ’s birth and anticipate His return.” For what little it’s worth, Lorin Wheelwright was one of my stake presidents during my time as an undergraduate at BYU.

According to certain critics, we’re not doing enough, and we’re doing it for the wrong reasons, and we’re not doing it well. Okay. Whatever. But we’re DOING something. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

The “holiday” abomination of Christmas is, itself and in its own right, an example of the ways in which theists and their theology abuse humanity and blight human civilization, as are the specimens of Christmas music to which I’ve been calling attention here throughout the month of December. They are thus, all of them, fitly relegated to the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™. And here, as if more evidence were really needed, is yet another example: “Church Donates Truckload of Food to Pueblo Cooperative Care of Colorado: ‘These donations not only provide essential items but also bring a sense of hope, dignity and encouragement to the people we serve’”

History and Religion

Travel and Religion

Previous Post

December 24, 2025

On the Eve of Christ's Nativity

Next Post

December 26, 2025 An appeal at year's end

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"“Enough and to Spare”I love their closing statement:“Joseph’s revelations related to the issues of scarcity ..."

Theodore Brandley

Walking through History

"Thanks John. You always have so many interesting facts. I could listen to you read ..."

I Dig My Job!

Walking through History

"You dig out some really interesting information from the background details of the Church."

Phil Leaning

Walking through History

"The G-20 interreligious summit is happening in Salt Lake City for the first time. President ..."

John Pack Lambert

Walking through History

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jesus Paul Peter John