Christmas Eve 2024— “His Name Shall be Called: Prince of Peace”

Text: “6 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” (Isaiah 9:6).

Peace.

What an important word that is. It is one of the most sought after concepts around. It is one of the words which tease us at Christmas. Isaiah promises that Christ will be the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). In the very next verse, Isaiah goes on to promise that “7 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” (Isaiah 9:7). He describes a place where “6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). That is the kind of peace Isaiah sees.

And that promise was to be fulfilled in Jesus. The angels proclaiming His birth proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). It is, arguably, part of what makes Christmas resonate with unbelievers, as well, as believers. Even for those who reject the reality of Jesus, Himself, the Christmas season brings a message of peace. It is a time when nations will actually pause their warfare for a moment. We read of ‘Christmas miracles’ involving families reconnecting and reconciling. So much about this day leads to yearn for peace.

But this promise of peace is painfully elusive. Isn’t it one of the main things that we mourn when Christmas is over? Isn’t it what people mean when they lament that they wish it could be Christmas all year ‘round— they wish for this sort of peace? They may be paused for a moment, but the wars quickly resume— often with even greater intensity. It won’t be long before the political battles begin again in preparation for the next election season. And fingers crossed that no one in the family ends up drinking just a little too much eggnog and spoiling the Christmas miracle.

What is the problem? What keeps ‘peace’ off at a distance, always just beyond your reach? Was Isaiah lying to you? Was he wrong? Were the angels talking about someone else— “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those other people way over there…”? What is the problem?

Part of the problem is that the armed standoffs between nations, the political debates, the conflicts within families are all just symptoms of the fact that you and I are not at peace with God. God commands you to “fear, love, and trust in Him above all things.” He commands it not because He needs something from you, but because that is where true peace is found. But, instead of fearing God, you fear what people think of you. Instead of trusting in Him, you trust in your wealth, you trust in technology and human intelligence to deal with the problems of this world, you try to put your trust in so many different things which can not give you true hope or peace. Worst of all, instead of loving Him, you love yourself more.

He commands you to love your neighbor as yourself. But you know better. He made it clear: Honor your father and mother; You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not covet; You shall not bear false witness. You know what they call a place where those commandments are kept perfectly by everyone, all the time? Paradise. But you know better.

You are modern human beings; you are smart enough and mature enough to operate by a different standard now, right? The experts know better than parents do, right? They should have the final say. I mean, marriage is an outdated concept, isn’t it? You don’t really need to be bound to it, do you? And it’s not ‘stealing’ if it’s just the way the world works, right? You’re just looking for the cheapest price. You don’t care how you get it. You’re just looking to get ahead a little bit. Everyone does it.

And then you wonder why this world looks nothing like the paradise— the world of peace— that God first gave to Adam and Eve. Should it really be a mystery, though, when you have decided that you know better than God does how this world should work? He offered you peace, but you knew better. You decided that He was your enemy.

Recently there was a post making the rounds on social media which started off by saying, “One day I said to God, ‘Why do you allow so many people to go hungry every day?’ I demanded to know, ‘Why do you allow the poor to suffer like they do?’ And God responded, ‘Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing.’”

There are many people who try to make God the scapegoat— they try to blame Him for the trouble in this world. But do you really want to know why there is no peace in this world? That’s precisely what God is trying to tell you. It is not a mystery. He has diagnosed the problem very clearly and very specifically. In a word, the problem is ‘sin’. You do not love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You do not love your neighbor as yourself.

You claim to love God. But that just makes you a liar. Because anyone who says they love God, whom they can not see, and hates the person whom he can see is a liar (1 John 4:20). (Those are the Apostle John’s words. Not mine.) Do you really want to try to claim that you love God?

You claim to love your neighbor, but what does that really look like in practice? In the real world, you love those who love you back. But when you decide that they have not lived up to the love you have given them— when you decide that they have not shown enough appreciation for the love you have given them— then you’re done. You do good for those who do good to you— for those who can repay you somehow down the line. And you call that love? That’s a transaction. Even sinners do that. You want to be able to claim the word ‘love’? Then love your enemies. Then you can claim that word for yourself. Do good for others without expecting anything in return (Luke 6:32-35). Then, maybe, you have a right to feel like you love your neighbor in the way that God commands.

It is a hard thing to hear, since you bear the scars— literally and figuratively— of the conflict in this world. Some of those scars feel like they will never heal. And you may be right. It is a hard thing to hear, but is it really any wonder why there is no peace in this world?

By all rights, God could have— should have?— left you in the middle of the mess that you and I have made. But He chose to be your Prince of Peace. While you still had decided that God was your enemy, He loved you. Before you had anything to offer Him, He chose to give everything for you. Do you want to see what love for God really looks like? Do you want to hear about someone who truly loved His neighbor as Himself? Look to that manger on that first Christmas. Look to Mary’s Child.

Isaiah was not exaggerating in the least when He called Jesus the Prince of Peace. Nor did Isaiah leave us to wonder what that would mean. He made it perfectly clear that the manger where Mary laid her Child on that first Christmas was just the first stop on His path to the cross. And Isaiah tells you, explicitly, what that cross means. There, on the cross, Jesus bore the sin that separated you from God. He took the punishment that you deserve for making this world what it is and He paid it in full. Long before an angel appeared to Mary to announce that she would have a child; long before angels appeared to shepherds in the fields; long before wise men from the east saw a star, Isaiah explained why Mary’s Child would be born. “5 [H]e [came to be] pierced for [your] transgressions; he [was born so that He could be] crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought [you] peace, and with his wounds [you] are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). There, on the cross, is where He became your Prince of Peace.

In Mary’s Child, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him He reconciled all things to Himself, making peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:19-20). He, Himself, is your peace by breaking down the dividing wall of hostility between you and other people and by reconciling you to God through the cross, thereby killing the hostility (Ephesians 2:14-16).

Or, as you have been taught to say it, He has “purchased and won [you], not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death that [you] might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness…” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation of the 2nd Article of the Apostles’ Creed). There, in that kingdom— that new creation— is where “6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). In the meantime, He will shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord. His people will dwell secure to the ends of the earth. And He shall be your peace (Micah 5:5).

Peace may seem elusive in this world— always just out of reach. But that peace that you yearn for is right here. It is proclaimed to you from this pulpit. It is dispensed at this font and from this altar. You can not return to that manger in Bethlehem so many years ago, so Christ comes to meet you here. That Little Child is here to lead you in His peace. “8 [W]hatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things… 9 and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8–9).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, turn away from your sin. Put away the old nature and live as citizens of His Kingdom, as faithful subjects of the Prince of Peace. “27 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called and be thankful (Colossians 3:15). In fact, if you would like a way to begin to repay the Savior who loved you while you were still His enemies, then love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. That is what it looks like to live like true sons and daughters of God (Matthew 5:45).

If you wish to repay the Savior who gave everything for you even though you have nothing to offer Him, then do good for the people around you, expecting nothing in return and your reward will be great (Luke 6:35). Because, especially when you give to those who have nothing to offer you in return, whatever you do for them you do for Him (Matthew 25:40).

Worship the Child born that first Christmas. Worship Him properly and truly as your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, as your Everlasting Father, and as your Prince of Peace.