Christmas Peace
father we ask now in Jesus name that you take your word and by your spirit you Minister it to our hearts in such a way that we are encouraged. We are edified where we're challenged Lord that were that much better equipped to be your people to be about your business Lord to be Clear Ambassador slow to be agents of the Kingdom Lord through those who bring the good news of great. Joy, those who are ministering. Peace. Peace in Jesus name peacemakers blessed and blessing others Lord. God episode we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Where are the tensions that exist between the church and the world when it comes to Christmas there is at least one Christmas-themed where there seems to be great agreement between church and the world is this thing of peace on Earth Christmas season.
I realize the phrase peace on Earth did not appear anywhere within that commercial all the same. I think Amazon's implications are pretty clear.
Shopping Amazon has the potential capacity to promote peace. Even between those we would consider the most bitter of enemies the Catholic priests in the Muslim Imam. They can be brought together Brothers one in heart in mind. If they just whip out that Amazon app and click on it and buy one another kneelers and the world will be a better place. Listen to I don't have any problem with priests and pastors and imams and rabbis getting together to to promote peace. I'm all for that. I'm just not totally convinced that Amazon is the key to bring about peace on Earth. One of the last this whole commercial is predicated upon that that place in the human heart that longs for peace belongs to see enemies and enmity and confrontation and and bitter contention somehow made right and reconciled and people brought together in in harmony, you know in recent years Pampers and Pepsi and who knows who else they've all use this slogan peace on Earth to try and sell their products because they know it Appeals. To something within each of us is as human beings. There's reasons for that this past year of course of 2018 740 armed conflicts have raised at various points in places around our globe in the past year more than a hundred and fifty thousand people have died as combatants in some sort of of conflict There's 7 billion people in the world. So that number a hundred fifty thousand. It may seem relatively minimal consider. However, the actual number of water related deaths as many as 7 million people. That's how many have died of starvation disease or other factors caused by the indirect impact of War. As of 2018 nearly Thirty million refugees who swiped from their home country has been caused directly by some sort of armed conflict that's 10 times the population of the Twin Cities. That's five times the population of the state of Minnesota. That's 10% of the US population no longer living in their country of origin their home country because of of the gun the bomb now if it ended there that would be bad enough, but then throwing a couple dozen random terrorist attacks weather here in the US or someplace else in the world.
Play through of mass shootings. That's more or less a US phenomenon. I get some demonstrators on the left and then get some demonstrators on the right and then throw them together in the same street that and watch what happens and then just for added measure maybe maybe we can throw in a little domestic violence on the side just to bring it all home and you take all of those sorts of things going on. And is it any Wonder people in peace on Earth? peace
hear the word of the Lord Luke chapter 2 verse 13 suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace to people on whom his favor rests. The Angels had left them and gone into heaven. The shepherd said one of those let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about. No, maybe my brain is just wired a little bit differently than most. I don't know but I read this verse one of the first questions that occurs to me is why why in the world did the Angels say all of this stuff to do a handful of impoverished Shepherd who lived on the the outer fringes of a Backwater community in a Backwater province of the Roman Empire? The people who the people who really needed to hear this message, they live 1,500 miles away and they lived in Rome Caesar needed to hear this message. The Roman senate needed to hear this message. The man who ruled the world are the ones who needed to hear this message of Peace these man who pulled the puppet strings of the largest most powerful most well-equipped Army the world has ever seen. They were the ones who needed to hear this message of Peace at the very least the people who needed to hear this message were a few miles over in the city of Jerusalem people like Herod His cronies roams puppet sees who made life on easy and fast and the nightmare it worse for anybody and everybody living in Judea.
Make no mistake. I am inclined to believe the shepherd's love what they were hearing piece of roof. Yes, Lord, where do we sign up? Imagine tooth to no longer have Rome's boot on their neck every waking moment of the day to live without fear of Oppression repression suppression all of it at the point of a sword to have peace genuine peaceful to wake up in the morning and at peace field to go through the day knowing peace to be able to lay the head down on the pillow at night in peace. Tell us more. Tell us more or Angel host. I'm out this piece of which you speak the Shepherds were receptive audience. I have no doubt. But all the same no matter how receptive. And no matter how appealing the message. What what opportunity did these poor Backwater Shepherds have to make peace on Earth reality? For just a moment. I want to leave those Shepherds. I want to leave that question hanging there in midair. And let's back up a moment. Let's come out this Angelic message of Peace for another angle. Okay, let's try and see is part of the larger Messianic mission that the verses in your bulletin this morning. You may have already seen it Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 very familiar prophetic passage of scripture that we read this time of year. 600 years before Jesus is born Isaiah. The prophet rights for us a child is born to us a son is given the government will be on his shoulders. He'll be called wonderful counselor. Mighty God Everlasting father Prince of Peace of the increase of his government and peace there will be no
Prince Jesus was born into this world for the purpose of bringing. Peace. And he's not just to this world but a piece of a cosmic Universal level. Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 and 20. God was pleased to have all his phone is well in Jesus Christ and through him to reconcile himself reconcile to himself all things other things on Earth are things in Heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. The thing about peace on Earth. Yes, but but peace in heaven peace between Heaven and Earth an increase of peace across the hall of God's kingdom without and forever and ever almond. peace At the same time that's also recognize that Jesus was born to establish peace and a much more particular much more personal sort of space. Listen to Romans chapter 5 verse 1 since we have been justified through faith. we have peace with God. C Sanchez peace on Earth it's not just peace and having such a peace between Heaven and Earth peace forever and everybody to eat a piece for me right now right here in my heart in my life. Peace between me and God previously nothing but guilt shame fear loathing, but now piece for my heart is all sin and failures washed away and waves of mercy Grace love forgiveness. Yes, Hallelujah. Jesus was born to bring peace to all creation. But Jesus was also born to bring peace to this particular bit of creation. peace for me peace for you
PS4 1 at all willing to receive it. I would suggest brings us full circle back to the shepherds in the field that question. We were asking earlier peace on Earth. The angel said
Atlantic message of peace What time does your peace begin with you simple humble Backwater folk the poor and the powerless the impoverished the unimportant you you get to be the first to hear about it. I'm not talking to Caesar. I'm not talking to her and I'm talking to you you get to hear it. Peace be to you the first two will hear about it. The first who will be entrusted to Proclaim. The good news of great joy. Yes. It's also the good news of peace on Earth God's Goodwill God's favor upon off people reconciliation healing restoration this new David new age of peace on Earth. It's daunting it begins with you here out here in the middle of nowhere in this field someplace. Does that give us a little insight as to how the mind of God works how the wisdom of God works? It isn't always to the powerful to the influential to the strong to the wealthy to the famous. So often times the seeds of God's plan and God's purpose it's planted in the hearts of just the common in the everyday. Chose to bring to pass something with the power of the potential to literally change the face of the planet.
So if you've heard the phrase Let There Be Peace On Earth and let it begin with me. Does anybody know where that comes from? Is it already up here? Not yet? Okay back in 1955 a woman Jill Jackson her husband sign Miller. They wrote a song. They wrote a song with this title Let There Be Peace On Earth in this line Let There Be Peace On Earth. Let it begin with me. It was part of this song and I don't I just want to read you the lyric. Okay, is it up there now? Back it up back up the train hear back it up again. Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on Earth the peace that was meant to be God our creator family all our weeks. Let us walk with each other in Perfect Harmony. A peace begin with me but this be the moment now with every step I take Flip This Be My solemn vow to live each moment in peace Eternal Let There Be Peace On Earth and let it begin with me now. Maybe these words strike you as profound. Maybe they strike you as a bunch of corny Hui, okay. I can take them or leave them. However, I am struck by a certain the underlined biblical principle found these lyrics peace does not begin with me and it never will peace real peace real peace that Daddy's God's domain peace is God's proprietary product. Okay. Only God has real peace and Only God Can dispense real peace. It's only the broken body of Jesus only the shed blood of Jesus that can provide to that piece being imparted to two people like you and me. And it's also true in The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said it blessed are the peacemakers. But he would say such a thing more than implies that he expects that his followers. His people are going to be about the business of taking the peace that God has given to them and and sharing it with others. If we go on to read the gospels, if we go on to to read so much of the New Testament what we find is that Central to this call. This calling to be a follower of Jesus. There is this obligation to take the peace. We've been given. Allow that piece to so permeate our lives that it's a piece we give it's a piece we impart. You know if we were in a Lutheran church this morning or perhaps an Episcopalian Church this morning at some point during the service we'd all paws and we passed the peace and then have you ever done that okay a few of you. Okay, those who have a little bit of Lutheran in their background or shaking their heads the rest of your going past the peace. What is this peace be with you and also to you it would be a regular part of the service. We do it every Sunday at just the way of saying listen. This is part of being a follower of Jesus Christ that the peace that passes understanding the perfect peace with which God keeps our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus as we Center our attentions upon Him upon his grace the good work that he has done and that he's continuing to do in our lives. We take time to acknowledge that and I'm not sure it's all bad things to do that folks because the world we live in today if there's anything that's in short supply is peace sign with wives and wives with husbands and parents with kids and kids with parents and siblings with one another. It's the way families operate. It's the way our schools operate our workplaces. It's our neighborhoods. It's every place you go just that just that little bit of tension just that little bit of underlying You know what I'm talking about because many of you experienced it over the course of your day. Just that that tension that that that low-level conflict that that sense that everything is just a little bit of a fight to get it done to make it happen to just try and live life. What would it be like to go through? Just just one 24 hour day where we experienced none of that totally free of tension totally free of any sense of conflict any sense of that....
What would we know what to do with ourselves if we spent the day like that? Hi, I'd be willing to try it. Okay, I just be willing to try have a day like that. We will hang for that folks. Why did the Angels Proclaim peace to Shepherds? Peace the shepherd's rather than Caesar rather than hair it goes with the real power to make peace. You're going to think I'm I'm I'm being cynical or maybe I am but but I'll tell you I'll give you my opinion you take it for what it's worth. Add friends in my opinion the powers-that-be the wealthy the influential those who pull the political levers in the economic levers in the military levers. Those who are in power will never be part of the process of bringing about real. Peace. For that matter in many cases, they're in they're not even going to be on the side of peace. Because friends peace peace. We're having at peace does not make for the expansion of profit and power. Okay. It's just the reality of how this phone works. If you want to make a profit. If you want to expand your power you need some conflict you need some tension. You need some people who are fighting against one another that's where it's found in the expansion of that profit in the expansion of that power. That's what the powers-that-be in this world are all about. What are were talking about the spiritual powers of Darkness that rule according to Ephesians chapter 6 whether we're talking about their human agents those who who rule directly or indirectly the Affairs of humankind. They were about expanding their their role and in over our lives. Peace out sometimes peace gets in the way of that. So be done with peace. Real peace real peace. Peace. Peace. I just thought that the smallest seed of grain. peace begins when a Shepherd named George He's heard the angels message out there in the field. An impacted by that message he leans over and he says to his buddy Ralph. You didn't realize that that was the real name's George the shepherd Ralph the shepherd a bird.
Ralph's, you know those things that that I said to you yesterday. I'm so sorry. I was way out of line to say that I don't want there to be Strife between you and me.
Well, I just want to be your friend. I just want us to be at peace with one another that's where peace begins. I think today they're still meeting in Stockholm Sweden the two sides in the conflict in Yemen. They're sitting at a table in the cameras are rolling in the toxic. Something has to happen in Yemen not in Stockholm. There's some tribesmen on this side of the line that have to sit down with some tribes people from this side of the line and they have to say hey, we're tired of shooting at you and we're tired of you shooting at us and instead of one another up over this or that tenets of Islamic Doctrine. Let's let's just try and get along because he that's where real peace begins we can have treaties and we can have things that are fine and we can have UN forces station to keep the side real peace begins when somebody says, I'm sorry. And I don't want to keep on living this way anymore. That's what peace begins whether it's peace between two people to people groups two families two cultures to two Nations Peace on Earth begins with a ragtag bunch of Shepherd's Bush. Literally, that's what the scriptures tell us. It begins there with this bunch of shepherds people like you and me who receive God's peace out there in the field and then again to share with one another in the form of some forgiveness some Grace some kind of some compassion some cooperation a helping hand A Generous Heart to share that message abroad as they went to see the Christ child in Bethlehem, and they begin to tell the other people what they had seen what they had heard. You know the more I think about it, maybe maybe. Amazon commercial was onto something. I don't think Amazon has much to offer by way of peace on Earth anything. I think they're part of the problem. Not the solution. This idea of one person reaching out to one other person whatever their differences and and and simply expressing a generosity of spirit some love some appreciation maybe in that. There are the seeds of peace. Perhaps perhaps even seeds of redemption as we invite the Holy Spirit to be at work in us. And so this Christmas season. Yes. Amen. May it be so God's peace God's peace on Earth spread abroad by blessed peacemakers people like you and me living and speaking the good news of Peace in and through our lives. Yes, Lord, Jesus. Are you at the even showed it to to the glory of God to the increase of God's Kingdom in? Yes. the increase of God's peace with out and may it be so God I don't know how I bring peace on Earth. I don't know how the people in this room. Bring peace on Earth other than simply living as your humble and faithful followers being attentive to your word. Attempting to live out your peace in our lives and Lord. Yes. That means we we really do need to be changed from the inside out because so often we're not at peace. We're Rod up about this and that and the other thing bent out of shape by this that we've seen or heard frustrated by what's going on over there. God's got to help us to keep our hearts and our minds stayed upon you that you're perfect. Peace might my fill our hearts and lives in such a way that we have some peace to give we have some peace to offer to others. We have some encouragement some life something of of real substance to offer to people who need peace because where we see the people around us. We see them in our families. We see them in our schools or workplaces. We see them in our neighborhoods our communities. We see people Lord whose whose lives there's just there's no peace there. They are driven. They are angry. They're depressed. They're clueless. They don't know what to do next where to go how to live they need. Peace. I need your peace Lord, you know, we we want to impart that we want to share that sometimes we just don't know how. God help us to be like those Shepherds who having heard this message of Peace in the fields went and Found Jesus God again. I ask help us help me this Christmas season to find you again to be immersed in your presence. Yet again. To be restored and renewed in the glory of who you are is incredible miracle if you're coming to Earth being one of us being with us. Lord fill us with your peace that we might be agents of your peace. The world it's a desperately needs peace, or may it be so I pray in Jesus name. Amen. The worship team is coming. Diane they're going to sing your favorite Carol. So get ready. All right, let's stand Where Feet let's sing.