This is our present to you this holiday season from the Preaching Poetry Podcast!

In this episode, longtime listener Sean joins us to help host a special Christmas edition of the Preaching Poetry Podcast! Check out our present to you this year with "Christmas Bells."

In this episode, we ring the news on Longfellow's most famous Christmas poem, which would also be set to music as the popular Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

We discuss Longfellow's personal tragedies and how they fit into the greater historical context of the poem. We explore the role of bells in pre-industrial society. We also go on a motivational and inspirational journey through the lyrics of the poem and Sean asks us to consider our role as bells, spreading "peace on earth, goodwill to men.'


“Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
    And wild and sweet
    The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along
    The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime,
    A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
    "For hate is strong,
    And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
    The Wrong shall fail,
    The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

In this edition of the Preaching Poetry Podcast, we delve into life and death and resurrection with Dylan Thomas.

We get personal here, sharing stories of grief and loss. We find comfort and hope in Thomas' vision of the coming defeat of death. Drawing inspiration from the Bible (Romans 6:9 to be specific), Thomas paints a beautiful picture of loss and loneliness and defies the shadows with the refrain "and death shall have no dominion."

We get personal, talking about what we believe about death and life after. Thomas encourages us to come to clarity about our own convictions. 

Can you agree with him? Is death final? Does love conquer all? Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?

Also, has anyone rated or reviewed this podcast yet?

We get into all this and more here at the Preaching Poetry Podcast!


“And death shall have no dominion” by Dylan Thomas

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

In part 2 of our episode on Ulysses, we get into the meat of the poem. We explained the context of the story from Part 1, and now we get to dive into the epilogue of the life of Ulysses.

We explore his wanderlust and lament with him that Ithaca doesn't hold the charm that it used to. All Ulysses could think about during his travels was being able to return home/ Now that he is home, he cannot stop thinking about his adventures and travels and feel as though he is languishing in backward Ithaca.

We explore his relationship with his son, Telemachus, a man he admires and trusts, but doesn't relate to. He seems ready to leave his son in his place as king. He gazes out at his ship in the harbor and resolves to set out into the wild seas again. Ulysses is determined to sail to or wash up upon the blessed isles, one way or another.

We take the chance to admire Ulysses, a man who "cannot rest from travel" and who yearns to "follow knowledge like a sinking star." He is a heroic figure, but he is also tragic. From another point of view, we can see the downside to such a self-absorbed pursuit. Ultimately, we think we would rather have Telemachus as a king and leader and example than Ulysses.

What do you think?