Ring Out The Old, Ring In Christ

Ring Out The Old, Ring In Christ

165 years ago, Alfred Tennyson wrote “to ring out” the old strifes, hatred, griefs, errors and troubles of the old and to “ring in” the new, happy, true, pure, good and lovely.  

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

In the final stanza of his poem (of which there are eight in all), he pointed the way to way to have this renewal that all men desire:  Christ who is to be.

One day, in Christ, all the works of the devil will be destroyed (1 Jn. 3:8) and a “new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13) and “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.” (Phil. 2:10). 

As the New Year Begins, let us renew again in our own lives the commitment to bring Christ into our hearts, letting his peace, love, joy and priorities lead us in every private moment and ever public participation’ ringing out every “raised up against the knowledge of God, and…taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5) until He is rung fully in!