Sermon Tone Analysis
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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
Remember what the angels sang to the shepherds?
Peace?
Is Christmas peaceful?
Is the world peaceful now that Jesus Christ is born?
Peace… only to those “with whom his pleased?”
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?
But what did we just read?
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?
So… to whom?
To those who believe.
To his disciples.
Before his crucifixion he told his disciples:
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.
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