12/25/07 - Christmas Day - Isaiah & Luke

CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONS ON "PEACE"

1. Peace in the world, despite the world

Palestinians and Israelis are still at war. We are in Iraq trying to prevent further damage. And civil wars are nothing new to many nations around the globe. There is no peace on earth. Far from it! But that is what a lot of people want and pray for, isn’t it? A candidate for Miss America will say: If I had one wish, I would wish for peace on earth. There is an entire website, peaceonearth.net, devoted to the cause. In fact, you could have gone to Ute Park right here in Montrose on December 22nd for a prayer gathering. And what was the topic of their prayers? “Peace on Earth.”
But all those prayers and wishes and hopes for peace on earth are all for naught. Because it is pointless to pray for something that God promises will never happen. “But what about the angels!” you may say. Didn’t they proclaim to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14)? Yes, they did. But that is not an earthly peace free from war. When it comes to the subject of war, Jesus himself said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come” (Matt. 24:6). God promises that wars will continue. He promises that fighting will occur and blood will be shed. The peace on earth that people want and pray for will not happen. Because that is not the peace on earth God speaks about.
There is peace in this world, but despite the world. No matter how many wars, how much blood, or how fierce the battle, there is peace on this earth. Because the peace that those angels proclaimed and that Isaiah prophesied about is Christ! He came to this world for the world. He died for everyone in the world. And he is preached to the world. The Old Testament prophet Micah even wrote down these telling words about Christ, “He will be their peace” (Micah 5:5). Christ is the peace in this world. That is a nice simple clear phrase, but what does it mean? How is Christ our peace? And what kind of peace does he bring? We will soon find out. For now we will sing hymn #61: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”


2. Peace with some, division with others

Many people are drawn to Christianity because they think their life will become that much better. They think that the Bible is some kind of self-help book and that God is more of a psychiatrist to help them with their day to day problems and with their relationships with others. In a way the Bible will help you with your day to day life. In a way it will help you manage your relationships with the people around you. But there’s a whole other side of the coin. As a Christian there will be peace with some, but division with others.
You know as Christians going to the same congregation that we enjoy a peace, a common bond with each other that only comes through Christ. Christ gives us a common faith in our Savior, and so we strive to show that same love to those around us that Christ has shown to us. That promotes peace, doesn’t it? Even if we disagree at times, even if we have different opinions, we work to be at peace with each other - and for the most part we usually are. That is one way that Christ is our peace. He makes it possible to have lasting a meaningful relationships with the brothers and sisters around us.
But just because you are a Christian, doesn’t mean you will be at peace with everyone. In fact, just the opposite is true. “Don’t be surprised,” John tells us, “if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). And Jesus even says, “All men will hate you because of me” (Matthew 10:22). That doesn’t sound like peace! That doesn’t sound too pleasant at all! And you’re right: it’s not pleasant. It’s not peace. Even though you enjoy a peace among other Christians, and with some who are not, there will still be many people who hate you. They will hate what you believe, hate what you say, and hate who you are. But this is a big part of being a Christian: enduring hate because of the peace of Christ you have and want to share.
But we don’t want that part of being a Christian, do we? We don’t want people to call us names because we follow exactly what the Bible says. We don’t want people to stop talking to us because we tell them about the Savior. We don’t want people to avoid us because they know what church we go to. And so we start shrinking back a little bit. We start telling ourselves, “I’m not even going to bring it up. I’m going to avoid the topic if at all possible. I don’t want to make them mad or frustrated or uncomfortable or embarrassed because of who I am or what I say…” Do you see the irony? You are giving up the true peace of Christ to have an outward veneer of peace with them. That’s not being a Christian. That’s being a fake, a phony, a Christian in name but not in action. And what good does that do for them? What good does that do for you? It certainly doesn’t look good to Christ - the one whose peace you’re throwing aside.
When I was at the Seminary, I still worked in Nebraska for a couple summers. At the seed company I worked at there was an older man who lived and breathed vulgarity. Everything he said was inappropriate and peppered with language that I would be embarrassed even to repeat. A couple months went by until he asked what I was going to school for. My simple answer of, “A Lutheran pastor,” surprised him, embarrassed him, and he apologized for all the words he had been using around me. But I thought to myself, “Why didn’t he know before? What does that say about me? Why am I so concerned about keeping the “peace” between us rather than offering him the only true peace there is?” I was not being a Christian there. I was being a fake, a phony, a Christian in name, but not in action.
What sad Christians we are at times. We know that Christ is our true peace but we act as if he isn’t as important as getting along with those who don’t believe in him. I ask that the Lord forgives us for these failings. I pray that he looks on us with mercy. And I know that he does. That’s the main and most important reason he is our peace. He forgives us and does not hold our sins against us. And we will hear more about that in a few minutes. But let us praise him for his mercy and love now by singing hymn #41: “Let All Together Praise Our God.”


3. Inner peace is eternal peace

Christmas is usually considered a time of peace. It’s quiet time of the year, family and friends are around, the music is soft, the candles are glowing, the food is good, and the nights are warm. But as we have already seen, that’s not a real peace. Those things will not give you a life of freedom from stress and worry. They are nice blessings, but the only thing that gives us peace of mind is peace with God through Christ. And that kind of peace was not easy to come by.
Isaiah says that “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Christ’s punishment brought us peace. He allowed his wounds to bleed and throb and hurt from the nails and thorns and whips and fists and clubs. That was his punishment. That was actually our punishment that he decided to take. And that punishment brought us peace: freedom from stress and worry forever because our relationship with God has been reconciled. Isn’t that interesting? Jesus experienced and endured the very opposite of peace so that we could have it. He went through his whole life hated by his own people. He was the victim of political maneuvers and self-serving leaders. He was sentenced to an excruciating death reserved for hardened criminals. He was rejected by God his Father on the cross so that now we have peace with God our Father through the cross. That’s how Christ is our peace. He took our sins that separated us from God and paid for them. He wiped them away so that now our relationship with the Father is renewed. We are at peace with him through Christ. There was no one else that could have done what Christ did. True God and true man. A Savior and a servant. A baby and a King. True peace is not a feeling. Peace is a promise. A promise that the little baby Jesus came to this earth to take care of our eternity. And has.
And so not only is this Christmas a Christmas of peace. Every Christmas is a Christmas of peace! The Prince of Peace is born! The one who gained our peace is here! The one who is our peace has come! So whether the family you have is here or not, whether today is everything you hoped for or not quite like it used to be, have a peaceful Christmas this year, my fellow saints of the Savior. There’s no reason not to.
Amen.

“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:16