A TIME FOR PEACE

 Luke 2:14 (NIV)

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

               As I drove into the office this morning, I heard the latest report from Gaza. Israel continues to push its military advance against Hamas. There is no peace in Israel today. The war in Ukraine continues to grind on. There is no peace in Ukraine today. Throughout the world there is turmoil of all kinds. Although there is peace where I live, there is little peace on earth.

               The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of joy and of peace. Yet for so many people there is no peace. So, has the message of the angels failed? The answer to that question is a resounding NO! The message that the angels gave to the shepherds is still valid today for all who will seek the Prince of Peace.

               The peace that the angels declared was not the absence of strife, but the reality of a new relationship with the Living God. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom. It means inner peace, well-being, blessing even in the face of difficulties. There is a peace that passes understanding and it is found in the babe born in Bethlehem.

               We can have peace even in a time of turmoil and upheaval. It is a peace that comes when we take our eyes off of our circumstances and put them on God. In Philippians 4, Paul challenges us to place our confidence in the one who can sustain us no matter what.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

               No matter what is going on around us, we can hold onto the reality that the Lord is always near to us. Jesus promised that he will never abandon us or forsake us. Because the Lord is near, we can take all of our concerns to Him with confidence. And He promises to replace our anxiety with His peace.

               The Psalmist put into words the confidence we can have in the Lord, especially in difficult times.

Psalms 46:1-7 (NIV)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

               He ends this Psalm with words of confidence and hope. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Psalms 46:10-11 (NIV)

               For many people, the Christmas season is a positive time of joy and hope. It is a season to set aside all of the turmoil in the world and experience peace, if only for a short time. For many others, the Christmas season is a time of heartache and grief. It is anything but a time of peace. Paul again speaks to both groups. True peace is not temporary or out of our grasp. It is available to all who will personally encounter the babe born in Bethlehem, just as the shepherds did.

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 (NIV)
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

               Jesus knew full well that the world we live in would be filled with trouble and hardship. He knew that because of sin, there would be little political peace in our world. But He promised us that through Him we can have peace even in a world in turmoil. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

               The message that the angels gave to the shepherds is still true. God has come into our world in the form of a baby to bring genuine peace to all who will seek Him. That baby grew into a man who revealed the true nature of God and who willingly took upon Himself the sin of the world, in order to set us free and to give us lasting peace.

Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.