Skip to main content

The Gift of Peace





The hope of Christmas was meant to bring peace. 

Yet, “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matt. 2:3    

Imagine that!  

Herod realizes the prince of peace has been born, and he is troubled.  

It’s simple for us to look back and wonder what Herod was concerned about.  

It’s easy because we know Jesus’ kingdom was not earthly

and most, if not all, of us, have never been the king.  

When you’re the king, you worry about who wants your throne.  

This little bundle resting in a manger stole his peace.  

In fact, he was so bothered by the news that he stole peace from his subjects. 

 Unrest gushes down from Herod to those under him, and now they are troubled too.   

In Bethlehem, however, a baby slept peacefully.  

He was the fulfillment of peace the promise that brought peace.  

Herod had no peace but the baby in a manger, 

he not only knew peace, 

but he was also peace.  

At Christmas, it’s easy to leave behind our peace as Herod did.  

While not too many of us must protect our throne, other things steal our peace.  

It may be our finances and worry about HOW we will even buy gifts.  

If Christmas is about gifts; then we must have gifts, right?  

Or maybe we remember past Christmas’ that didn’t go so well, 

and Christmas must be perfect right?  

Perhaps you think of those who will be missing from your Christmas celebration; 

after all, it’s not Christmas if a family member is missing.  

All these things and more can steal our peace, 

and just like Herod unrest gushes in torrents on to those around us. 

Often, the things that we allow to wisp away our peace 

are things that may have little significance when we look back.  

This Christmas let’s take some time and open the gift of peace.  

Let’s remember that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus.  

If we make it about anything else, 

we will end up as troubled as Herod and we will end up making those around us

 as bothered as we are.  

If you have no peace, why not take a few minutes and get to know the Prince of Peace.  

Jesus never promised outward peace,  

but He is the only one who can bring peace to our troubled souls. 

That is a peace that goes beyond what we can comprehend. 

When we know him, making Christmas a celebration OF him is easy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Live Fearlessly

                                   As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the    road.  Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride.  As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping.  I could have and should have but I didn't. Why?  I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid.  It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into  overdrive.  Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting.  Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy.  As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid.  Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know.   As I was driving away from a missed opportunity, I began thinking about what it is that makes us afraid.  I honestly am not sure what it is that causes us to be afraid when we should be bold, but I
Post a Comment
Read more

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story.  We were new parents.  When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes.   One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house.  The next thing I heard was a thud.  I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened.  There was my son with a table on top of him.  He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over.   We put him in the car and dashed for the ER.  It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches.  Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike.  She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road.   I grabbed her up and checked her over there were no injuries, but
Post a Comment
Read more

The God of Order

  Yesterday, my children and I went walking on a bike trail.    The weather was perfect.   Sunny, warm but not hot.   As we were walking, we started to talk about creation.   Creation itself always amazes me.     Can you imagine watching creation unfold at the word of the Almighty?   It would be   the most glorious and lovely thing to see.      As we were talking, I asked,  “What do you think would have happed if  God had created people first?”     They stopped  gave me a questioning look then my daughter said, “I suppose that we would have starved because there was no food.”     And we all had a laugh creating  other scenarios for what might  have happened if creation had happened in any other way.      Yet, the   fact is that creation itself demonstrates that God is a God of order.   Each day of creation built on   what had been done the day before.    It also reminds me that God wants our lives to be as orderly as possible. God planned creation before one word was spoken
Post a Comment
Read more