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By Pastor Glenn Pease
Bells are one of the common symbols of Christmas, because all through history, bells have been used to play the role of the angels on that first Christmas.
Bells ring forth the message of joy.
The bell and the babe of Bethlehem are linked in many ways.
Nowhere is this more evident, than when you compare the history of our famous Liberty Bell with that of the Christ-child.
Both were designed to convey a message of good news.
Jesus was God's Word, and He came to be heard.
He came to sound forth a message of joy and liberty.
This was the purpose of the Liberty Bell, as well.
It was originally ordered by William Penn, the Christian founder of Pennsylvania.
It was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of religious freedom in Pennsylvania from 1701-1751.
The inscription on the bell is from Lev. 25:10, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."
This bell, like the babe of Bethlehem, was to bring good news of great joy to all people.
The Liberty Bell was not cast and hung to ring happily ever after, but like the babe of Bethlehem, it had a battle for survival.
The bell became famous on July 8, 1776, when the first public reading of the Declaration Of Independence took place in Philadelphia.
The bell began it's jubilant ringing in the tower of Independence Hall.
That made the bell a great symbol of the birth of freedom.
The star of Bethlehem was a symbol of the birth of the King of freedom, who came to set us free from the bondage to sin.
Such symbols are a threat to those who oppose liberty.
Herod would shoot the star from the sky, if he could, and so he sent his troops to silence the Word, residing in that babe of Bethlehem.
The bell was the object of a Herod like plot, as well.
The British General Howe, and 17,000 troops attacked Philadelphia in 1777.
They fought their way to the Liberty Bell to destroy this symbol of American freedom.
Like Herod, they came close to succeeding in their evil plot.
They came within a rifle shot of the bell.
But in the night, the Americans lifted the 2,000 pound bell from the tower.
They put it on a farm wagon, covered it with potato sacks, and got it to the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown.
It remained hidden there for nearly a year.
The babe of Bethlehem was taken off to Egypt, and so both Herod and Howe were foiled in their attempts to destroy the babe or the bell.
Both of them came back.
Jesus returned to a life of teaching and service to His people, and the Liberty Bell was returned to the tower in Independence Hall, where it rang out for many great events.
On July 8,1835, it was tolling for the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall.
It was at this time that it cracked and was silenced.
The babe of Bethlehem was also silenced after much blessed service, and was also broken on the cross.
The parallel of the babe and the bell does not end there.
The Liberty Bell was given a resurrection, and the crack was filled in.
It was ringing again in 1846 for the birthday of George Washington.
But near noon it cracked again, and after that brief restoration, it has been silent ever since.
Jesus also rose from the silence of the grave and after a brief time with His disciples, He ascended to the Father.
This fascinating parallel of the babe and the bell introduces us to the role that bells have played in the history of Christmas.
We do not hear the angels, as did the shepherds, but if we listen to the Christmas bells, and know their history, we can hear the same message that leads to the Savior.
The wise men were led by sight to the Savior.
God gave them a star.
But the shepherds were led by sound.
God gave them a message through the ear.
Both are a part of God's methods, and both of them touch us all, in the sounds and sights of Christmas.
We live in a visual oriented culture, and are more impressed by sight, than sound.
But we need to learn to listen too, for by means of the ear we can enter more deeply into the full message of Christmas.
Sound has the ability to produce emotion.
The sound of bells can move us to enjoy God's gift all the more, if we know their history.
There is not a lot about bells in the Bible, but the little there is, tells us that God loves the sound of bells.
He had them play a role in the Old Testament that links them to the role of His Son, He was to send into the world at Christmas.
In Exodus 28:33-34, we have a description of the robe that Aaron was to wear when he went into the holy place before the Lord.
Little golden bells were to be all around the skirt of the robe.
Their tinkling sound, as he came before the Lord, made him safe.
The sound of the bells, was a message in music, that protected him.
Anyone who sought to come before the Lord, without the sound of these bells, would die.
You can see the parallel again, with the babe and the bell.
No one could approach God without the bells, and Jesus said no man comes unto the Father but by me.
There is no entering the presence of God, without the Babe or the bell.
The only other reference to bells in the Bible, that I am aware of, is in Zech.
14:20, where the day of victory for the Kingdom of God over the nations of the world is being described.
It says, "And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, Holy to the Lord."
The bells are connected with total victory.
So also, the Babe of Bethlehem was born to be the King of Kings, whose kingdom would conquer all the kingdoms of the world.
It is no wonder that bells have become a symbol of Christmas, for God chose the bell to be a symbol of joy and victory in His presence.
There are numerous types of bells, but all of them have some positive value, and thus, have something in common with the Babe of Bethlehem.
Two main characteristics stand out in the messages conveyed to man, by the Babe and the bell.
First of all, their message is-
I.
A LIFTING MESSAGE.
Good news is what they are both all about.
Love lifted me, we sing, and in God's gift of the Babe of Bethlehem He gave us the greatest lifting love ever.
The Christmas message is a message of love, and thus, a message of joy.
The bells ring out this message of joy.
They are frequently referred to in Christmas songs.
1.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.
2. Ring The Bells Of Heaven.
3. Joy Bells Ringing In Your Heart
4. Jingle Bells.
5. Silver Bells.
6. Come On Ring Those Bells.
7. The Bells Of St. Mary.
8. Angels Singing, Church Bells Ringing.
9. Ring The Bells, Ring The Bells.
10.
Christmas Bells.
All of these bells deal with a joyful message that gives a lift.
The bell is the logical symbol of marriage.
Wedding bells are popular the year around as symbols of love and joy.
They are designed to bring a lift into life, and all relationships.
God sent His Son into the world to lift the fallen.
He came so low to lift us high.
The sounds of Christmas must be lifting sounds to be consistent with the purpose of God.
Bell sounds are ideal, for they convey, in a great variety of ways, the lifting message of love and joy.
The bells that ring at Christmas time
Each bring a different greeting-
The door bell rings and tells of friends
Whom you will welcome meeting.
The slay bells tell of snow paths
And of fun, they are assigned.
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