Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Intro:
Video Reflections:
We long for peace, but we often choose war as the way to get what we want.
Often, even our enemies want the same thing we do.
Stepping out of our fears and anxiety takes guts.
Reaching out to someone else can bring a great blessing and peace.
“Why didn’t that celebration end the war?”
Because it’s not the celebration of Christmas that stops conflict, it’s Christ who heals and restores us.
There’s a lot we can learn from this short Christmas history lesson.
Beyond the level of presents, food, fun, family and traditions - which are all wonderful - there are deeper themes in the Christmas story that speak to our most basic needs.
We acknowledge and observe those themes every year with Advent when we highlight HOPE, PEACE, JOY, LOVE.
These are fundamental human desires and needs.
It remains a sad truth however, as much as we want to have peace in our lives, we simply cannot manage to experience it successfully and consistently.
Like those soldiers in WW 1 trenches, we stop the fighting for a while but go right back to it very quickly.
We long for peace.
Peace with our Maker.
Peace within ourselves.
Peace with one another.
But the Bible declares, beginning with Christmas, that peace is attainable through Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus’ heavenly birth announcement promises us peace:
But what, exactly, are we talking about when we hear that peace on earth is promised by the birth of the babe in the manger?
[SLIDE] Shalom
When the Bible references peace in Hebrew or Greek, it means “peace” but not exactly as we tend to use the word in English.
We tend to have black/white reference point.
We are either in conflict (without peace) or not in conflict (at peace).
This viewpoint limits a biblical understanding.
For the middle eastern mind shalom or, in Greek, eirēnē have much deeper and more robust meanings.
Conflict or lack thereof are certainly built in but there’s a greater sense of wholeness, wellness for the individual and with the community.
Relationships at peace are based on care, loyalty, love, friendship.
God, in Christ, is bringing us back to peace, shalom, wholeness.
So when the Bible speaks of Jesus as the prince of peace, he is the one who brings us back into wholeness within ourselves, with others and with God.
He is the initiator and agent who creates peace, wholeness in all our relationships.
When we lack peace, it’s like when we’re putting together a puzzle and pieces are missing.
Or, assembling a project - desk, car parts - and somethings not there.
It’s at minimum frustrating, potentially dangerous.
Peace with God
Before there can ever be true peace within us or with others, we need peace with God.
We need to be made whole in our relationship with our Maker.
Pascal - God-shaped vacuum in all of us.
We try to fill it so many ways.
Nearly everything we experience to try and give meaning to life will cause us to want more or different experiences or things.
Too often those attempts bring us into conflict with God, with others.
Wholeness, satisfaction, peace come from letting God’s Son, the Prince of Peace fill us with His Spirit.
Peace within Ourselves
Peace with God allows us to find peace within ourselves.
When we have been filled with Christ we are whole and...
We can release all of our anger, pain, grief, shame, despair, worry.
It’s seem obvious to say that peace with God and within ourselves should lead us to peace with others.
Peace with Others
Jesus calls us to peace with one another.
It’s a hallmark of the Christian community.
Conclusion:
As we come closer to the manger during Advent, my encouragement to you is to hear and respond to the angel’s triumphant announcement that the “prince of peace” has arrived.
May I suggest some ways to let his peace be your peace this season?
When it comes to relationships, especially with the difficult people in our lives, take this advice to heart: Don’t shoot back.
No matter what they say or do, pray for God’s peace and wholeness to be yours.
What if we trusted God to work in those relationships, what if we tried maybe one more time to be reconciled?
When it comes to peace and wholeness within ourselves, remember that some obligations (work, family events, financial responsibilities) are impossible to get out of.
We get frustrated because we’re having to work or attend events that pull us away from family.
We don’t think we have enough money to buy for the people we love the way we would like.
Knowing this could steal our joy and our peace if we let it.
What if we let God handle all that?
What if we simply prayed, whatever we have to be involved in, whatever level of gifting we can do, that God would use it all to His glory and to bless us and the those around us.
Finally, all of this depends on us having peace with God.
Have you made peace (wholeness) with God because you know Christ?
If so, have you truly let Christ have your burdens?
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