Advent: God Brings Us Peace

Scripture Reading: Byards

Luke 2:14 (ESV)

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

Isaiah 9:6 (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.

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.

Early in World War I, during December 1914, many German and British soldiers took peace into their own hands.

On Christmas Eve, they sang and played carols to each other across the destroyed no-man’s-land, finding that they knew the same songs even if the lyrics were in different languages.

And early on Christmas Day, German soldiers walked across the scarred landscape, unarmed and shouting “Merry Christmas” to their enemies.

Allied soldiers, a little distrustful at first, crawled out of their trenches and joined them, shaking hands, exchanging gifts of cigarettes and plum pudding, and they sang Christmas carols together.

History.com says there was even a documented game of soccer during this unofficial cease-fire.

The Christmas Truce was never repeated.

Unfortunately, the officers made sure of it by threatening punishments.

But on that special day, enemies placed their shared humanity before their grievances and experienced the Christmas spirit of peace in a truly powerful way.

Wow, can you imagine? That must have been quite a sight to see those enemy soldiers sharing Christmas peace.

In a similar way, God’s peace can fill us and rule within us even when we are surrounded by death and evil.

God’s presence and peace can pierce even dark and painful surroundings and circumstances, including any war or any emotional valley we find ourselves in.

Advent journey: focusing on celebrating peace

My hope is that today each of us will experience the comfort of Christ’s peace deep within our souls.

advent means “coming” or “arrival,” and the season is marked by expectation, waiting, anticipation

Advent offers us the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, to celebrate His birth, and to be alert for His second coming.

During Advent we wait for both—it’s an active, assured, and hopeful waiting.

Each week, we focus on a different attribute of God represented in the coming of Jesus: hope, love, joy, and peace.

This morning we are going to look at how God brings us peace

Peace Restored

Luke 2:8–9 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.

The first way God brings us peace is that Jesus restored Peace

Jesus restored peace between God and man

He brought true peace to earth

This was announced to Shepherds

They were definitely considered a lower social class. They held a menial vocation that involved hard labor in the elements and physical work with the animals. Stinky animals.

It’s safe to say a shepherd wasn’t what most mamas dreamed their boys would grow up to be. They were a pretty lowly bunch.

Imagine their surprise on that star-filled night on the outskirts of Bethlehem when the brightest star in the sky dimmed, and then the whole dark expanse began to glow with the brilliant light of an angel of the Lord.

And then, as if a vision of an angel wasn’t enough, the glowing guy spoke—to the shepherds!

Luke 2:10–12 ESV

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.”

Unbelievable! But wait . . . there’s more. Literally, more. As in, more angels

Luke 2:13–14 (ESV)

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!”

The angels were making a proclamation of peace to those on whom God’s favor rests. And they were making it to shepherds?

But like much of Jesus’s coming, this announcement didn’t fit the mold of expectations.

Ironically, the religious elite are conspicuously absent from the birth announcement.

Those considered by society to be the “most holy” weren’t given a place in the stable to kneel on holy ground and witness the arrival of the Messiah.

The announcement to the shepherds that God had come to be with us in the birth of the Messiah turned the current system on its head.

It reminded people—and it reminds us today—that God’s favor is not based on human standards.

His favor is on all those who humbly acknowledge their brokenness and accept the gifts of hope, love, joy, and peace that Jesus brings.

The angels appeared to shepherds; the shepherds received the announcement of the good news; and then they became the message bearers of peace.

Jesus’s arrival for the shepherds marked the starting place of peace to all those on whom His favor rests—to all those with whom He is present, which includes us.

The God of peace is truly with us.

Peace is not based on class or position or occupation but on His purpose and design to bring good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Glory to God in the highest!

The Prince of Peace has come. On this final Sunday in Advent, let’s explore together what that means and looks like throughout history and in our own lives today.

Peace Brings Wholeness

With God’s peace we are made whole

Way back in history as recorded in the Old Testament, when God gave the Law to Moses and set up the roles and duties of the priests to guide the spiritual life of the ancient Jews, He gave them the ultimate blessing to speak to the people:

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

The Hebrew word used in that blessing and throughout the Old Testament is shalom, and it conveys rich, powerful meaning.

So much more than just the absence of fighting, shalom reflects safety, completeness, and wholeness.

This is the type of peace brought by God with Us.

Jesus is the Prince of Shalom foretold by the prophet Isaiah

Isaiah 9:6 (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.

The Jews of Jesus’s day wanted a Messiah to establish political justice against their oppressors.

After all, they lived under the iron rule of the Roman Empire, and this was not by choice.

They were a conquered people, at the mercy of a powerful military empire. But the Jews also understood and longed for shalom.

On top of that the Law had grown to 613 laws with 243 being positive and 365 being negative

The concept was foundational to their culture and spiritual life.

This completeness and wholeness with God is what Jesus brought into and left in our world.

It is the peace that calms our souls deeply. It is the calm acceptance that “it is well with my soul” no matter what swirls and storms around me.

This is the peace we celebrate today.

And when Jesus returns one day, He will heal all that’s been broken and restore God’s complete kingdom of shalom.

Yes, there will be the absence of war and hatred, but even that type of peace will be an extension of the wholeness that He will establish.

Peace is a Person

God brings us peace in the person Jesus Christ

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.

Jesus knew His followers were about to experience a crushing blow.

But He had a gift for them that was different from anything in our world—His peace is not given as the world gives.

It is not a gift that can be taken away nor is it something we can create on our own.

It is not the absence of pain, hurt, noise, violence, or uncertainty.

Peace is a person. Peace is Jesus with us as the Prince of Peace.

And His assurance to the disciples was that even in what would appear to be the most hopeless of situations, He would be with them.

His peace is His presence with us no matter the circumstances.

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

God with Us brings peace between us and God, but He also brings peace among people because we are all drawn together and unified in God through Jesus.

This is the perfect picture of shalom—wholeness, safety, and the restoration of all people as one.

Jesus’s peace is not simply that we agree to disagree; it is that in Him we are made one. In wholeness we are reconciled to God and to others in Jesus.

Peace Brings Transformation

Philippians 4:6–7 ESV

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

How peaceful is your Christmas season? If we’re honest, we might choose words like busy, hectic, and frantic to describe our lives this time of year—or maybe all year round. Maybe it’s an overloaded schedule that robs you of peace. Or maybe it’s something more: relational conflict, pressure at work, a lost job, an illness. You name it. For many of us, peace sounds like a long way away. A good idea. A nice thought for the holidays. Something we long for. If only we could feel the peace of God with Us!

If this is where you find yourself today, let me encourage you that Jesus shows up when the storms of life threaten our peace and hope and joy. He is there with us when love seems lost and the way forward is totally unclear. But yes, even the disciples, who lived with Jesus every day, had a hard time grasping this.

When things aren’t looking good for us, we’re often quick to cry out, “God, don’t You care?” We think He’s not paying attention or doesn’t realize the magnitude of our situation, and we add to the spiral of our own storm.

But in reality, God is there. He is God with Us, always present, and He knows all that swirls around and within us. He sees beyond the waves and winds of our circumstances. The power of His peace isn’t diminished by our storms. We can allow it to fill our hearts with calm and courage as we turn to Him, giving our requests to Him in prayer and focusing on His faithfulness. God with Us will never leave us. He will never fail. It is this presence of peace that we celebrate on our journey toward Christmas. And it is this presence of peace that we can access and practice.

How?

When we come to God through prayer, He changes us inside. God’s peace is able to bring a powerful transformation in our spirits. No matter what we are anxious or worried about, we can bring our needs and requests to God. Paul described the process like this:

As we talk to Him and give Him thanks, God’s peace swells within us and guards our emotions. This is a miraculous peace, one that transcends all understanding. It doesn’t make sense given the worry and fear we are facing. It wouldn’t naturally exist in the midst of our struggles. But this is God we are dealing with! This is our Prince of Peace, the giver of shalom, the giver of His Spirit of peace. When we come close to Him—when we go to worship Him like those shepherds did—we connect with Him, and He transforms us and our outlook. No matter how bad the storm swirling around and within us, He can calm it. And He can carry us through it.

Let me encourage you in this final week of Advent to look for Him, even when the winds blow and the storms swirl. You may find Him as a babe lying in a manger or a carpenter’s son asleep in the boat. It may even initially seem to you, as it did to the disciples, that He does not care. But in the midst of whatever life holds this week, remember that Jesus comes in power as the Prince of Peace, always with us, restoring us to God through wholeness and comfort. May He be your peace this week, guarding your soul with peace, filling your spirit with the wholeness of shalom, and ruling as the Prince of Peace in your heart.