Christmas Peace

White Elephant

Origin of white elephant. The story goes that the King of Siam (now Thailand) would give rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him. The elephant was sacred, and so had to be cared for at great expense, and this would then bankrupt the one who received the gift.

I love white elephant games becomes it injects some much needed chaos and stealing into the gift giving experience. We played at youth group this last week, and there’s always those few gifts that everyone wants, and people strategizing how to “lockdown” their favorite gift. I love it.

So, this year we are going to pile all the gifts in the middle and do it Hunger Games style, fight for your favorite gift, whatever you have managed to wrestle away from your siblings by the end you get to keep.

Logan has some strength, but Arabelle’s pretty crafty… the boys might team up… Ella’s just a dark horse, she could turn on the tears and keep it all.

And the angels sing “peace on earth to men...”

Do you experience peace at Christmas?

Christmas Story

Luke 2:1–7 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Remember what the angels sang to the shepherds?

Luke 2:8–14 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Peace?

Is Christmas peaceful? Is the world peaceful now that Jesus Christ is born?

Peace… only to those “with whom his pleased?”

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Where’s the peace?

Do we have world peace?

Do you have peace with everyone in your world?

Do you peace with God?

Do you have peace with yourself?

Remember this verse in the King James Version? The way we sing it in carols?

Luke 2:14 KJV 1900

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.

But what did we just read?

Luke 2:14 ESV

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

A very slight difference in the manuscripts. Instead of “goodwill towards men” one letter puts it in the genitive sense and makes it men “possessing goodwill” or “possessing God’s favor” or “with whom he is well pleased.”

Who gets the peace?

Only to the ones he likes?

People in general don’t have “peace” with God…

Upon whom does God give his favor?

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

So… to whom? To those who believe. To his disciples. Before his crucifixion he told his disciples:

John 14:27 ESV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

He gives fully, completely, entirely, to those who are called by his name.

I am his disciple. Sold out for Jesus, where you go I will follow. Lord, I believe, help me believe. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I am his disciple.

So… where’s the peace? What is the peace?

Shalom

Shalom

Our word “peace” is not nearly rich enough to convey either the Greek idea of eirene or, in the language Jesus and the angels would actually be speaking, the Aramaic and Hebrew word “Shalom.”

The Greek word, eirene… there are a few words in Greek for peace. One is the quiet calm of nature, especially the sea. Calm waters. Another is concord or agreement, like-mindedness. The peace that comes when everyone agrees.

This word is what Plato called “profound peace.” The peace attained at great cost, the peace, Plato writes, of an old man who has accomplished all and no longer needs to strive for the passions of youth.

Shalom, peace, is not only lack of conflict… it is to make whole and complete. So if you damaged your neighbor’s fence, you could “shalom” them, as a verb, make them right, make them whole by repairing the fence.

When the wall is broken and shattered and missing bricks… and then the craftsman comes and replaces every brick perfectly, beautifully, and the wall is whole and strong, ready for the purpose it was created for. That is shalom.

It is restoration, full and complete, all things made right and whole.

Peace means the abscense of conflict… shalom points to the presence of something better. Complete or “whole”.

Life is complex, chaotic, full of missing pieces and holes

Christ brings “shalom”, peace, restoring and making whole our selves, our relationships with each other, and our relationship with God… with no end.

You and I were broken… and our relationship with each other was broken… and our relationship with God was broken. Shattered by sin and death.

But, joy to the world… glory to God and peace on earth… to you and me and all who believe on His name.

Peace with God

By grace through faith in Christ

You have peace with God.

That is not just that Jesus has paid the price of your sin against God, thus healing conflict. He has created “shalom”, he has made things right and whole between you and God.

Because of Jesus, you are at peace with God, whole and complete in His love. There is absolutely nothing you need to do to earn it, you can’t make it better, or more whole… it is perfect peace.

You don’t have to try.

Merry Christmas.

Peace with one Another

By grace through faith in Christ

Because we have peace with God, we can have true, deep, abiding peace with one another. Not just an end to conflict, shalom, relationship made whole and complete as it was meant to be.

Can you imagine the peace you could bring to all your relationships as you fully accept that you are forever loved and accepted by God?

You don’t have to strive to please everyone around you… you are loved by God, so you are empowered to love them instead.

You don’t have to manipulate what they think of you… you know what God thinks of you. You are loved. So you are free to serve God and others instead. Free to love God and others, truly. Because you are made whole and complete - peace - shalom.

Where’s the peace? He is our peace.

Ephesians 2:14 ESV

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

Jesus is the wholeness, the completeness, the shalom, the peace that passes understanding. And he gives himself to us, that in him we would have peace.

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

And the early church picks this up. What does Paul say in almost everyone of his letters?

Grace and peace to you. Grace - the unmerited favor of God… which gives to us the free gift of peace, shalom, with God and one another. In Christ who is our peace, our wholeness.

This is the gift.... and it becomes flesh and blood Christmas day. Expectation of the ages. Unspeakable joy. The measure of love. True completeness, harmony and peace.

Luke 2:14 ESV

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Merry Christmas.

Silent Night

So we have this tradition of lighting candles and singing Silent Night together at our Christmas service. Maybe the night was silent… maybe the birth was crazy and full of chaos...

But it isn’t hard to imagine the Universe standing still for a moment… when the Prince of Peace, Christ our Savior is born.