What happened to peace on earth?
Well, since Cain and Abel, perhaps there never really has been any lasting peace on earth or good will to mankind, just small spurts.
Recent headlines read “The War in Iraq is Over”. No, actually we just withdrew from it and sent our soldiers to the next friendly country. This was Babylon. The war in that region has been ranging for thousands of years – it is a war over ideologies, oil, land and watering holes. No peace there.
Has the “Oh, my gosh! Christmas is this weekend!” panic hit you? How peaceful is your world right now with last minute lists and checking them twice, relatives pulling into the driveway, and the credit card bills already arriving in the mailbox? Ho,ho,ho. Merry Christmas.
One of my friends told us over dinner that her favorite time of the year is about 5 am on Christmas morning. She gets up, curls up with her cup of coffee and breathes in the peace. She says that is the one time the hymn is right – all is calm, all is bright. But soon enough, the footsteps thump down the stairs and the joyous chaos begins.
For many, Christmas will be too calm, but not very bright. No one will visit. They will have a microwave dinner in front of the TV and watch old holiday movies. They will huddle in a corner of a soup kitchen refuge or under an overpass. They will stare out their nursing home or hospital window and listen to the joyous voices of other families bringing poinsettias and gifts. Their loneliness and pain will not bring peace.
But no matter where you are, how busy you are, or how lonely, there is a piece of peace that you can unwrap this year. It is the peace that passes all understanding because it comes from the greatest gift of all – Our Lord Jesus. Do you see it, hiding in the back. It is the one without the pretty bow and glistening paper. It is the one you can unwrap every single morning and carry with you throughout your day, and into your night. It is the one that is free, but the most costly of all. The babe who was laid in wood, died on the wood to give you that gift. What is it? Peace in God, Himself.
Emanuel – God is with you. O Come, let us adore Him.
Have a very merry, Blessed, holy Christmas. May your heart brim over with His peace.
