Finding Serenity with the Prince of Peace: Spiritual Insights

Introduction (5m)

All I Want for Christmas is Peace and Quiet

We all want some peace at some time over Christmas

Want to find personal fulfilment - to be happy in our jobs, family, relationships. Want good health - peace from illness - ourselves and others. Want peace with God - respite from wrestling with the contrast of who we are at our worst over who we are at our best.

We want to find peace and quiet in our own ways

But somehow we struggle to find it.

Explanation (5m)

The answer is to receive the gift of shalom from our Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6 NLT

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Prince of Peace = Shar Shalom

The one who removes all peace-disturbing factors and secures the peace.

Not like human kings - rely on bloody conquest. Didn’t seek to conquer Rome or enter into peace treaty.

He relied on a bloody sacrifice instead, to bring us the true peace we need.

This true peace isn’t simply the absence of conflict

Philippians 4:7 NLT

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Shalom is where you find yourself when God is present.

What many sense when they enter Hall, cathedral, thin spaces.

It is not just part and parcel of the world. It is something beyond, supernatural.

Shalom is dependent on being in right relationship with God

About seeking forgiveness when we have done wrong; about God’s grace - the One who loves us even when we cannot love ourselves; it’s about the ever-present reality of a new start in life - moment by moment. It’s about his love and concern for us.

Application (5m)

So, we come to Christmas Eve wanting peace and quiet

Peace in our lives, in our jobs, in our relationships, in our health concerns, in our family life, in our hearts.

How can we find this peace this Christmas?

Isaiah says almost nothing about what we as human beings will or ought to do to bring about the peace we seek.

The peace Jesus brings has nothing to do with our skills, talents, efforts, or even luck

All we can do is “see the great light”

See it - or him - and trust him. The Prince of Peace is the one who knows God’s plans for us. We can trust him, without knowing all the details. We can trust him with our happiness and security. We can trust him with our joys and with our worries.

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight

Next Steps

Hope and Fears baskets

2 x baskets, post it notes, pens

Video: The Everlasting Light | 4:00