I Love Those J-I-N-G-L-E Bells!

Christmas is a time for bells. Sleigh bells, jingle bells, silver bells. Pretty much any kind of bell in fact. Bells are generally associated with celebrations and in our country especially, with freedom and liberty. The most famous bell is the Liberty Bell which is on display in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is believed this bell was rung to mark the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

In contrast to the bell, the hammer is generally considered a symbol of judgement, oppression, and condemnation. The hammer along with the sickle was the symbol of the former Soviet Union. A hammer is an instrument of labor mostly appropriated for breaking things apart or forcing things together. It’s heavy, blunt, and makes a most unpleasant sound. It symbolizes effort and striving. Whenever you hear the sound of a hammer, you know someone is hard at work.

Bells aren’t tools used for anything and require no effort. You can hear bells all day simply by attaching them to any part of your clothing. Attach one to your cat and you’ll hear it ringing all day long from a creature who doesn’t even have opposable thumbs! According to Exodus 28, bells were attached around the hem of the robe worn by Aaron, the high priest, as he ministered in the Holy Place. Verse 35 tells us that the sound of the bells would be heard as he entered and as he left so that he would not die. Here we see how the sound of bells signaled God’s mercy instead of His judgement.

Christmas is a time to put down our hammers and put on our bells. Because God’s grace and mercy have come, we are delivered from judgement, oppression, and condemnation. Christ has purchased our freedom and delivered us from our bondage to sin! In Luke 2:34, when he saw baby Jesus, Simeon said to Mary “This child will be rejected by many… but He will be the greatest joy to many others.” I hope for you this Christmas, Christ is your greatest joy and you can join me and a host of angels in proclaiming “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Let our freedom in Christ jingle!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 12th, 2017 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Theology & Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.