PEACE AT CHRISTMAS

 Having taught about peace with God from Romans 5 on Sunday, that topic has been on my mind. 

That made me think of the hymn “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” written by Charles Wesley and modified by George Whitefield. The first stanza is: 

“Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”

Wesley had to have had in mind the words of the angels speaking to the shepherds in Luke 2:14. They said “Glory to God in the highest (in Latin, it is “gloria in excelsis Deo”) and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased”. 

Many people who sing or hear this Christmas carol think it means peace between nations. But, it actually refers to peace with God, as shown by the mention of reconciliation. 

Peace is needed, and may occur, on three different levels. First, there is peace with God. Then, there is peace of mind for the individual. Finally, there is peace between different people, groups, and nations.

But, if there is no peace with God, there can be no peace at all. Without it, all a person has is self interest, which causes conflict, and fear of death. 

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus was a contemporary of Luke. He was a Roman and experienced the Pax Romana under Augustus. That peace came from wars which subjected other nations to Rome. Epictetus said:

“while the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart, for which many yearn, more than even for outward peace” 

In contrast, peace with God changes men and women. That leads to the second level of peace, peace of mind and heart for the believer. We no longer need to fear death. We no longer have to fear the world or our circumstances. Instead, We can rely of God. He tells us not to be anxious, but to tell him what we need. In response, he gives us the peace which passes understanding and which guards our hearts and minds in Christ. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Having this peace, we can be at peace with others. Love, joy, peace,  patience, kindness, gentleness and self control are fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Only those who have peace with God through justification by faith have the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads them away from self interest to the interest of others.

That is why Christians can get along with each other. As they have these fruits of the Spirit, they do not compete with each other for benefits or recognition. They put others before themselves. That is what God wants. Jesus said: “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall become sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

The tragedy of a church whose members are fighting with each other is that they do not show evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. Instead, they evidence of the works of the flesh, which include enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy. (Galatians 5:19) Those are the things that destroy churches.

So, Christmas is a celebration of peace. It is a celebration of Christ coming to give believers peace with God. It is also a time when we can focus on being peacemakers. 

 

Let me leave you with a blessing from the book of Numbers: 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; 

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”