Peace

Call to Hear

Good morning! Welcome to Britton Christian Church! Our mission is to be a lighthouse of hope to the community. Thank you for joining us today! To everyone watching us online thank you for logging on. Please leave a comment in the chat to let us know that you’re watching and where you’re watching from.

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of peace and our opening scripture for today comes from the gospel according to Luke 2:8-14.

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Father God we thank you for Your word. Your word is truth and by it we are sanctified. It’s sharper than any double-edge sword and it is a light and a lamp to guide us in this life. Amen!

Peace on earth. Shepherds were in the fields minding their own business, tending to their flocks, when all of a sudden angels appeared to them in awe-inspiring fashion with a Christmas message about the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. The shepherds were terrified, but the angels comforted them with the assurance that there was nothing to fear. This was a message of good tidings, a message of great joy, a message of PEACE.

If there was ever a time that we needed peace on earth it's now. This year has been a boiling pot of divisions and conflicts of all sorts. Whether it's the ongoing cries of "No Justice! No Peace!" that we hear from the streets, the debate over wearing masks, those who follow the science about the corona virus and those who don't and don't get me started on the presidential election.

But what about your own peace? What about the conflicts in your own homes and on your jobs and in your heads and hearts. You know, I can listen to the angel’s message that there will be peace on earth and that’s all well and good, but I would just be happy to have peace in my family. What about peace in my marriage or on my job. I’ve fine with peace on earth, but will that bring me peace in my loneliness? Does that guarantee peace in my restlessness?

Peace has many meanings. It applies to a multiplicity of areas in our lives. According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary the word means to be in 1) a state of tranquility or quiet; 2) freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; 3) harmony in personal relations; 4) a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity.

In the Bible, peace is multi-faceted. The Hebrew term is shalom. The Greek equivalent is eriene. These words each carry the implication of being whole or complete socially, relationally, personally, financially, emotionally and spiritually. However, you and I don’t usually speak of peace in this all encompassing sense.

If you do a quick search for “peaceful” images you'll find some really breathtaking scenes. Images like these (SLIDESHOW). The waters are motionless, there’s a gorgeous mountain range in the background, the sun is dawning or rising with the most majestic colors of orange, red,and purple. You’ll also see images of a lone soul standing on the beach greeting the morning in tree pose or warrior pose.

If I were to ask you what is peace or when are you most peaceful you might answer something like this:

Peace is a no-agenda weekend at the end of a long work week. It’s the end of a conflict between friends, neighbors or nations. It’s the mending of a broken relationship. It’s quiet, uninterrupted silence. Which reminds me, peace is that thing you long for if you have children. Today, I want to take a closer look at Luke 2:14’s promise of peace on earth. What I want us to understand regarding peace is that it can be external. It can also be internal, and the thing about internal peace a lot of times is that it is dependent upon external factors. That in order to have peace within, there must first be peace without. Finally, I want us to understand that our greatest peace is neither external nor internal, but instead it is eternal. Our greatest peace comes from Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord of Peace.

Peace is external.

At the time that Luke 2:14 was written, the famous ‘Pax Romana’ (Roman Peace) which began with the reign of Octavian, had been in effect since 27BC ending in 180AD. The Roman Peace led to an economic boom as well as a time of military peace. However, what we no to be true is that “the absence of war doesn’t guarantee the presence of peace” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume, p.143). What I want you to understand today is that it is literally possible to have peace in the midst of conflict. It’s possible to be at peace when your world is topsy-turvy. You can still have peace in your life when your life is a ragging inferno. I believe that peace is a by-product of control. If you are drowning in anxiety, often times it is because you believe that what is happening to you is outside of your control. I’ll give you a personal example.

When our recent ice storm hit and left my house without electricity for almost two weeks, there were moments where I had no peace because I wasn’t in control of my situation. I couldn’t flip a switch and turn the lights back on. And then I borrowed a generator that worked fine for a few days and then I couldn’t get it to work right. God used that time to reveal my idolatry of control and so whenever I began to bow down to control god, my real God would remind me - “Tre! You may not have electricity, but you still have power.”

See, I was behaving like the disciples did when Jesus was taking a nap in the boat.

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (The New King James Version. (1982). (Php 4:6–7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)

“When a man’s ways Lord, He makes even His enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).

Peace is internal.

Now, the funny thing about internal peace is that it often requires something external for its fulfillment. The Stoic philospher Epictetus said, “While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart for which man yearns more than even for outward peace” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume, p.143).

Mark 4:35-40,

Peace is eternal.

We know that peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). If you have the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in you there is nothing and no one to over rule what God has established in you.

Phil. 4:7

Rom. 5:1

Eph. 2:13-18

Col. 1:20