Suddenly
a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angels praising God and
saying: Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.
Luke 2:13 & 14
I have a young friend who is a
singer, working the music scene in Chicago.
His name is Zach, and he’s doing much the same thing that my daughter Becky
did a few years back in New York…taking every singing job he can get including
providing entertainment for company parties.
As you know, the last few weeks have seen our country afire with racial
unrest the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long time. The streets of major cities, including
Chicago, have erupted into violence. My
friend posted the following on Facebook:
I left a holiday party this evening where I
was singing carols about peace, joy, a new social order, of righteousness
reigning on earth and walked directly into the broken and hurting society we
live in. Police cars overtaking the sidewalk, hundreds of people running
through the streets, and ANGER. That kingdom we were singing of has yet to
come.
No
Zach, it hasn’t. Peace. It’s a word we hear at this time of year more
than any other. Is it just a candle on
an advent wreath? Even though it’s the
season of peace, life goes on uninterrupted.
Not only on a global level, but personally…individually…things come at
us that keep us off kilter. Yes, we
focus our eyes on a manger and a baby in a place called Bethlehem that is far
removed from us in both time and distance.
We practice the joy of the season.
We come to church, we sing carols, we share the story with our
children. If only the world could truly
know that peace and joy that Zach was singing about.
The
thing is…it won’t. Jesus even told us
that there would never be global peace.
And the reason is that everyone in the world does not know the One who
is Peace. We have to understand what
peace is and where peace is. Jesus is
the only one who is peace. Peace is not
the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ. Only when we practice His presence in our own
lives will we understand what peace really is.
When we understand that, we can be at peace in the middle of mass
chaos. When our family is in a mess…when
the test results come back bad…when we face the illness or death of a loved
one…when the money runs out and the month is only half over…when a so-called
friend turns out to be an enemy of the first magnitude. The truth is…this life is hard. I say it again – peace is not the absence of
trouble but the presence of Christ. I’m
so glad God let me live long enough to begin to understand this. For far too long, I let life jerk me
around. It seemed that one trial would
barely be settled down and another would come to the fore. Sometimes, they overlapped or stacked
up. They still do. And I’m not about to tell you I don’t still
get gripped in the gut when another challenge raises its nasty head. But I am learning…little by little…to
practice that presence of Christ…to worship instead of worry…to praise rather
than pout. And I’ve learned that we do
these things by an act of our will. It’s
a choice.
When we
read the Word, we come to know Jesus…who He is and what He did for us. If we are practicing the peace of His
presence, we can imagine that He is standing nearby, beckoning for us to come
closer, to feel the beat of His heart and hear him say “It’s ok…I’ve got
it. Trust me.”
Billy
Graham’s daughter, Ruth, offers insights into the peace of Christ in her book,
Fear Not Tomorrow, God is Already There.
First of all, she says, His peace is present. Jesus says in the Book of John:
“Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give to you.” His peace
guards us. Paul tells us in his letter
to the Philippians: “The Lord is at
hand…and the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” His peace is certain. Psalm 46 tells us to “Cease striving and know that
I am God.” His peace is
comforting. Psalm 32 says, “Thou art my hiding place.”
Until
every soul in the world comes to know Jesus and His peace, we have to be
content with practicing that peace in our own souls. And to rest in God’s glory when we have those
moments in life when we see him more clearly than others. And when we need him
more desperately than ever.
Hear
these words from Ann Voskamp:
Okay, so nothing’s going real easy here,
Lord…and maybe we just need our own quiet visitation this Christmas, just to
hear it like a whisper in the midst of all the noise:
What was intended to tear you apart – God
intends it to set you apart. What has
torn you –
God makes a thin place to see glory. The places where you’re torn to pieces can be
thin places where you touch the peace of God.
Thin
places are those times when heaven and earth seem to come so close together
that we get a sharper glimpse of the Divine.
She speaks of thin places where you touch the peace of God…whatever is
going on in your life, I wish you that peace of God. Focus on it this Christmas and understand what
it is. It’s not just a candle on an
advent wreath.
Let us sing with the angels: Glory to God in the highest and
on earth peace for those on whom his favor rests.