December 9, 2021
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“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 14:27
As I sit here, I ponder on what this Christmas Peace we are promised by the angels that Christmas night really means.
I have come to the conclusion that age sometimes brings the Christmas season and the meaning of the angels’ words into a better perspective for me.
At one time, Christmas brought lists, questions and stress. I got caught up in the tension around me as I heard and saw the difference in people as the season progressed. Why? Why do people put such high expectations on themselves and what is expected of them by others during one of the holiest times of the year? Where is their peace?
I feel the words of the angels need to be heard again. They started by telling us that if we want peace, we need to glorify God first. We need to know Him, listen to Him, Respect and be thankful that we have Him in Our lives. For it is through His Son Jesus Christ, who came at Christmas that we have the example of how we are to live, with His help. Jesus lived as we do, with all our trials and misfortunes yet to give us an example of how we can have peace when, tired, not listened to, having so many people making demands on us, not loved, actually hated by some.
What did He do? He went to His Father and prayed. I feel withdrawing, regrouping with Our Lord’s help brings me peace. I recall the words of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” “John 14:27.
If we could only be that dependent on the promises He made to us and start this season with the commitment to look to Him when we feel stressed and ask Him to give us His promised peace. Quietly asking what we can change to make life calmer for us and then follow His advice!
You see, I feel, peace, for us, as Christians, comes from within us. It is the God of love living through us. It is the Holy Spirit guiding us and it is our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilling the promises that we are not alone and He promises us peace in all circumstances. He will be there to help us cope, but we need to listen to Him.
Isn't time with others and relationships more important? I feel that is what the angels are saying with the words, “goodwill to men”. This Christmas, I urge you to take time to be with those you love. Time is the best gift we can share. If we have peace in our hearts, we have the God of Love within us to share, Love is for sharing, what better gift can we give? And by passing on love we also pass on joy and peace. So this Christmas season, plan early and only do the necessities, so that you can stop and just enjoy your relationship with Our Lord and take time to share His hope, peace, joy and love with each other.
Prayer: Dear Prince of Peace, Through You, may we come to Christmas with hope, joy, love, and especially peace in our hearts, our homes and in relationships with others. Amen
Rev. Liz Johnson is a retired mother of 4 and grandmother of 7. Liz lives on a beautiful farm with her daughter, Debbie. What is important to her are her faith, family and friends (met and not yet met).