on earth, peace

“So, what do you want for Christmas?”

It’s a common question. As a kid, I was always at the ready with an answer. I had something in mind, you could count on it: Legos, baseball cards, Ninja Turtles, a bike, a scooter, etc.

Now when someone asks me I usually say, “Oh, I don’t need or want anything; I have all I could ever wish for.” People don’t generally like that answer.

My beautiful, long-suffering wife gave up long ago asking me what I want. She got tired of the shoulder shrug, I’m sure.

It was probably six years ago when I got the phone call from my parents. “So, what do you want for Christmas?” I gave them my standard response, “Nothing, thank you. I don’t need a thing.” I mean, honestly. At that point I was pushing 30; I had the means to buy anything I wanted without having to wait for Christmas.

That, of course, didn’t sit too well with Mom or Dad. “We have to get you something. What do you want?”

“Let’s just not exchange presents this year,” I suggested.

“Now, Barrett…give me some ideas,” my mom insisted.

At long last, it dawned on me, something I truly wanted. So I presented my request to my then 55-year-old mother and 61-year-old father: “I know what I want: a baby brother!”

I thought Mom was going to have a heart attack. I’m pretty sure she dropped the phone. She might still be laughing, all these years later.

“So, what do you want for Christmas?”

This question has been posed to our kids a few dozen times over the course of the last several weeks. When Patience’s piano teacher asked her what she wanted, Patience told her, and then politely asked Ms. Carla what she wanted for Christmas.

To this question, Carla paused for a moment and then said, “World peace.”

It’s the beauty pageant answer; we hear it so often it’s become a cliche.

[Play Video Clip]

>World Peace.

The truth is we all want peace, we all desire peace. No one wants chaos and discord, struggles and difficulty. Peace in all areas of life would be welcome by anyone.

Peace, according to the Bible, is defined very broadly; here’s my best stab at summing it up: peace is “relational, physical, spiritual wholeness, well-being, and security.” That’s peace. And it’s this the angel came to announce to a group of smelly, unimportant, lowly shepherds.

This, the angel came to announce with the heavenly host—a great company of angels, a choir of thousands—came singing:

Luke 2:14 NIV

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to the Gospel of Luke. If you are able and willing, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

Luke 2:1–20 NIV

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

>Can you wrap your head around what happened in the hearts and minds of the shepherds that evening?

There they are, a handful of regular fellows, just doing their job, minding their business (and the business of the sheep under their care), and then, out of nowhere, an angel of the Lord, surrounded by the glory of the Lord, shows up.

We know, because Luke includes the detail, that they were terrified; you’d be terrified, too. And then, what they hear from the angel is absolutely incredible. It’s stunning.

A baby’s been born. Without further information, this isn’t really news, at least not news these shepherds would need to know. But that a baby was born who is the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord—that’s news, for sure.

The first angel gives the shepherds (and us) the facts about who Jesus is.

He tells us Jesus’ job: Savior—the One who would save His people from their sins;

Jesus’ title: the Messiah—God’s King promised to His people, promises recorded for us in the Old Testament;

and Jesus’ identity: the Lord­—this is the word used by Greek-speaking Jews to translate the Hebrew Yahweh, the personal name of God by which He introduced Himself to His people for centuries.

The first angel comments on the facts of the situation. The rest of the heavenly host joins in with the color commentary—the flourish, the pomp and circumstance.

A baby’s birth is typically greeted with joy and excitement, but on this first Christmas, because of whose birth it is, the joy and excitement is unmatched by any other birth in history. The very heavens open up and let forth praise.

The angels’ song is meant to help us realize that what’s going on is beyond significant: this baby’s birth is far and away the most historically important and meaningful birth ever.

The angel and his traveling acapella group take to the sky as their stage; angels, more numerous than the stars, sing melody and harmony and cover the rhythm, filling the night air with worship.

Glory should be obvious. God deserves glory: “Glory to God in the highest heaven,” they sing.

What the great company of the heavenly host announce as the shepherds’ great benefit, what they announce as our great and matchless benefit, is peace—peace to those on whom [God’s] favor rests.

Peace Announced

The shepherds, lowly as they were, certainly grasped the concept of peace. They were living during a time of “great, worldwide peace,” or so it was called.

Augustus—the same who had ordered the census—had established what was known as the Pax Romana, an empire at peace, guaranteeing safety (unless you happened to be a slave or a rebel).

The Pax Romana was also known as ‘The Imperial Peace’, though historians tell us ‘peace’ is not what one finds in the pages of history.

The shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night were, this night, going to meet the One who would soon instruct Augustus (and everyone else) about what peace really was.

The so-called peace in Rome was about to be dwarfed by the peace of God, brought to earth by a baby.

Epictetus, a first-century philosopher, rightly observed:

“While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from grief and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns far more than even outward peace.”

No emperor could give what this baby would. Here with the arrival of this baby, sing the angels, is the coming of a peace that goes down deep, peace from your head to your toes, peace that lasts beyond the grave.

On earth peace…is the great and matchless announcement of the angels to the shepherds.

The announcement of peace is truly incredibly, stunning news.

It’s the announcement, not of perfect harmony between men. It’s not the announcement of cessation from war. It’s not the announcement that hostility amongst men has come to an end. It’s much, much better news than that.

The angelic announcement of peace is one of peace between God and man. It’s the healing of the estrangement caused by human sinfulness, the availability of a relationship, a harmonious relationship with God.

On earth peace the song goes on.

J. C. Ryle: “Now is come to earth the peace of God which passes all understanding—the perfect peace between a Holy God and sinful man; peace, which Christ was to purchase with His own blood; peace which is offered freely to all mankind; peace which, once admitted into the heart, makes man live at peace with one another and will one day overspread the whole world.”

Peace which passes all understanding...

Peace with God was a dream, a faint, glimmering hope. It seemed impossible and improbable in that day to be at peace with God. There were so many rules and regulations, sacrifices and statutes. It was, at best, a temporary feeling—to be at peace.

For the shortest of moments, perhaps after making atonement for your sins, possibly on the Day of Atonement and for a few days following, you might have the feeling of peace with God.

But then you’d blow it. You’d mess up. You’d break a Sabbath law or become ceremonially unclean. And that sense of peace you had with God was gone, a mere memory.

Peace with God is the announcement. On earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.

When a person has been reconciled to God and enjoys inner tranquility in their own minds—that’s this peace.

This is what the child in the manger brings. Real, lasting peace. Peace with God through a right relationship bought, not with our obedience and piety, but purchased by this child who came to save us, to rob our sin and make us holy at the expense of His life.

The announcement is peace by way of substitution. We had no chance of obtaining peace with God. So God came down to us. The Prince of Peace come to live among us.

The announcement of peace was met with amazement, as you can imagine it would.

Amazed by Peace

When the shepherds make it to the place where the baby Jesus lay, they spread word [about] what had been told them about this child.

Imagine that conversation: “We were out in that field, just counting sheep (literally counting sheep, that’s our job) and *boom* there’s this angel telling us about how the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord has been born. And then! And then a whole mess of angels came singing, praising God, singing about God’s glory and peace on earth. The most incredible thing we’ve ever seen...”

Luke 2:18 NIV

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

No doubt the people listening were amazed at every detail—the announcement of the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord among us is kind of a big deal. Every detail is amazing, every detail. Like every other detail, peace is amazing.

On earth, peace to those on whom His favor rests.

The truly amazing thing about peace is that it’s offered to us. To us.

We must remember our lowly state. Socially, economically, we might be better off than the shepherds, and likely are. But spiritually, we’re no different. I think this is one of many reasons the news of the Savior’s birth was announced to the shepherds first. Because it’s for every kind of person—every. single. kind. of. person.

And, lest you forget, let me remind you: you are not a basically good person. Some might even say you’re a scumbag (I don’t know who would call you such a thing, but it’s kind of true). You are utterly flawed and undeniably sinful; and undeservedly blessed in Christ.

The Bible tells us we are, by nature, children of wrath:

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

We were by nature children of wrath…that is until the Christ-child came as the promised Prince of Peace— “a prince who removes all peace-disturbing powers; a prince who exalts the government of David into an eternal rule of peace, is the end for which He is born; and moreover He proves Himself to be what He is not only called, but actually is.” (Keil & Delitsch)

This is Good News of Great Joy! That peace has come to you. That God has shown you favor, that He has called you, that He has showered you with grace and brought you peace.

Jesus is Peace. And Jesus brings peace.

To those Jesus would heal during His earthly ministry, He would say, “Go in peace” for all was well with them.

“Go in peace” was a common farewell to persons going on a journey that might prove difficult.

At the end of our time each Sunday, I say, “Go in peace and serve the Lord.”

My benediction is more than trite repetition. It’s intentional. I want you to know and go in the amazing peace that Christ brings.

He brings us perfect peace—a reconciled relationship with our Heavenly Father. Without Him, we remain enemies with God, objects of wrath; a hostility exists between ourselves and our Maker apart from Christ’s intervention.

If Jesus didn’t invade our world, if He didn’t come to die in our place, we would never know peace with God. There is no answer, no payment that would assuage the wrath of the Holy God.

The Good News of Jesus born to us is that He brings us peace.

“His law is love and His gospel is peace.”

Mary, we read, treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart after the shepherds left. I wonder what she was thinking about specifically, but, I’m sure she was thinking about being at peace with God. Mary, no better than the shepherds or you and me, believed in and put her hope and faith in the One she held in her arms. She knew He Himself was peace with God; this baby would bring peace to all who put their faith in Him.

After hanging out with the baby Jesus for a bit, taking turns holding the newborn King, sharing with His earthly parents about everything that had happened that night, the shepherds returned to the fields nearby, and resumed their flock-watching. Only now they’d been changed. Something in their lives was altered. No, scratch that. Their entire lives had been changed by the one born Prince of Peace. They were glorifying and praising God for everything they had seen and heard.

They were glorifying and praising God because they could now, at long last, now, for the first time in their lives, truly be at peace with God—for they had met their Savior, their Messiah, their Lord.

>Let me ask you: “What do you want for Christmas?”

I bet I know what you want, whether or not you’d frame it as such, whether or not you’d verbalize it exactly—you crave peace.

I’ve got good news for you. Peace can be yours. Peace has come down, in the person of Jesus, this babe wrapped in swaddling cloths; peace between you and God is found in a person, and in Him alone. Jesus brings peace which takes the place of wrath, peace that removes hostility, peace that cancels the enmity. Jesus brings peace where once there was only violence.

Do you know what it is to be at peace with God? It’s not about trying. It’s not about doing. It’s not about some religious checklist. It’s a matter of whether or not you know Jesus, the Savior and Christ.

Can I tell you what I want for Christmas? I want you, the people I love, to know the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and to know the peace that He brings, the peace He gives. This I know: Jesus brings peace, leaves peace with us, gives peace to us, and this, not as the world brings. He brings a peace that nothing can touch—an everlasting peace.