The Prince of Peace is Born
Let’s seek true peace on earth, goodwill to men
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
—Isaiah 9:6
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
—John 1:14
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 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. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
—Luke 2:8-14
Today is Christmas, and I hope you are all enjoying the day with family. I also hope that you remember the true reason for this day, that the only Savior for fallen mankind was born. And He was born so that He would die one day on a cross to offer salvation and forgiveness for our sins so that we may have eternal life, a gift offered to anyone who accepts the gift.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” A few key lyrics:
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Think about that for a moment. Jesus is the King of kings, and He is the Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15). And yet, Jesus showed the perfect act of humility to come to earth to become fully human, and fully God at the same time, to pay for our sins. And it started with a humble beginning in a manger.
Jerry Newcombe wrote that “genuine humility is a beautiful and God-like trait. The first Christmas was really quite humble.” Newcombe added:
“Perhaps that is why Christmas resonates in the hearts of many, even many non-religious people… because of its utter humility.
Of course, we Christians believe God became a man in Jesus Christ. But when He came, He didn’t come in pomp and circumstance, living in an ivory palace. He came in a humble and lowly way.
He didn’t even sleep in a bed that first Christmas. He was laid in a manger – a feeding trough for animals – in a smelly stable. Hay served as the baby’s mattress.
Here is a lesson to us all. No one in this world, no matter how lowly, no matter what side of the tracks they come from, would find Jesus unrelatable. He is accessible to all.”
It was a feeding trough that the one and only King slept in His first night on this earth. And His purpose was to die a painful death on a cross for us. Jesus did not deserve that death, a death we all deserve, but He humbled Himself to die on the cross for us.
Unfortunately, Christmas has lost its meaning to so many with a culture that has foisted all sorts of secular trappings from mass consumerism to Santa.
“Christmas, for many, is less about the Savior and more about sales. But for those who take the Word of God seriously, the birth of Christ is infinitely more than holiday cheer—it is the beginning of God’s grand rescue mission for a lost and dying world.”
Let’s not allow the culture to destroy the true meaning of Christmas. And while you’re giving and receiving presents today, let’s not forget that there are doubters and those who are alone today who need Jesus Christ, as well all do.
“I think of those who will be sitting in their probably small, perhaps too chilly residences on Christmas Eve, all by themselves. There are no children to go through the ritual of leaving milk and cookies for Santa. Almost certainly no Christmas tree. No stockings, and no fireplace. If they have no family that cares enough to see them over the holidays, they aren’t likely to even receive a phone call. No one other than maybe the Salvation Army volunteer, assuming they visit the grocery store (they don’t have anyone to buy Christmas presents for), will even wish them ‘Merry Christmas.’ I doubt they’ll be watching A Charlie Brown Christmas or Jimmy Durante singing Frosty the Snowman. Any reminder of the season is likely to bring back bad memories. Or, perhaps even worse, good memories. Of what Christmas once was.
The ‘experts,’ as is their wont, have diagnosed the situation and given it a fancy scientific name. Seasonal Affective Disorder- conveniently SAD for short. I don’t think that SAD is a real malady any more than Executive Burnout is a legitimate thing. And I wonder if those who are alone and forgotten during the holidays come from exclusively Christian families? Is there any evidence that many Jews are lonely during Hanukkah? How many Muslims ignore family members during important holidays? What about Kwanza? As ridiculous as this contrived ‘holiday’ is, is anyone really lonely at Kwanza? It does seem like this is a Christian phenomenon. Which is not that surprising, since so many modern Christians ignore the Golden Rule, and don’t love their neighbor. So it stands to reason that they probably would have little patience for eccentric or troubled relatives.”
Let’s pray for them as well as we enjoy this day.
Blessed are the peacemakers
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
—Luke 1:76-79
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
—Matthew 5:9
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
—Luke 6:27
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
—Matthew 5:43-48
Christmas is a time for hope. Unfortunately, many find themselves in a place of hopelessness.
I think of Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born and spent His first night in a manger, where Christmas has become subdued with Christians being forced out.
“Three wise men traveled a long way following a strange star, to a place they had never been, to offer gifts to a newborn, full of faith in the promise this baby would bring to the world. It’s a story told over and over, and the foundation of the many nativity scenes set up beside our country roads at this time of year….
As we consider the season, and the story of the three wise men, we think about the town of Bethlehem, just 46 miles from Gaza City. Today, the Israeli cleansing of Gaza is approaching its objective. The genocide, with the forced removal of the population and destruction of every man-made indication of the lives of Gazans there, is nearing completion. This reality is hard for any American to watch, especially those who understand that this ongoing genocide is US policy, US-funded and -armed, in service to a US vision of global primacy and an unarticulated reordering of that part of the world. Better for Americans to avert their gaze.
If one were to follow a star, and get too close to the new Netzarim Corridor that cuts off the northern third of Gaza, one would be shot on sight by IDF snipers, even as herding the remaining several hundreds of thousands of starving, thirsty and sick southward is Israel’s objective. The technology of war is modern, but the hatred and covetousness of a state seeking Lebensraum is devilishly ancient….
To know what we should do as Christians, at Christmas and every day of every year, isn’t easy. We get spiritual credit for humility, meekness, mercy and forgiveness. We mourn the evil in the world, and regret the harm we do to others. More boldly, we hunger and thirst after righteousness and justice, we speak truth, seek peace and become peacemakers…. My Christmas wish all of us is to be more humble but righteous, more courageous yet kind, and to live the Nativity every day, instead of just driving past, eyes straight ahead.”
“What Hamas did on October 7th is reprehensible. But there is a lot that does not smell right about it, just like there is a lot that doesn’t smell right about the war in Ukraine, let alone the whole Covid thing. The Greek philosopher Aeschylus is attributed with saying: In war, truth is the first casualty. Which makes sense since, if anything, culturally, politically and economically, we have been in a war against all truth for some time.
In times like these, our only recourse is to get back to things we know to be true. And that which really can bring us joy by reminding us why we celebrate the CHRISTmas Holiday Season.”
Unfortunately, so many are calling for more war, including professing Christians in the West. Some have put misplaced hope in worldly governments to wage wars of aggression. Others have lost hope because those wars have been waged against them.
Let’s point them all to the only hope that man has, Jesus Christ.
In his Christmas sermon, Matt Trewhella said:
“Christmas is a time that we remember God has declared peace on earth, good will to men. Understand, this is not talking about some sappy world peace where nations all get along and war ceases. This is far more than that. This is the declaration that there's peace between God and man available to all men.
Christ has come in the flesh to redeem mankind by His blood and procure peace between man and God. We remember in these days, this Christmas season, the incarnation of Jesus, the incarnation of Christ, that He became man on earth. And for what purpose? To die on the cross for the sins of mankind so that if a man will turn from his sin and believe in Jesus, he will obtain forgiveness of his sins and have right standing with God.
Think on these things next time you hear someone say, ‘Peace on earth, good will towards men.’ Remember, it's not some sappy slogan for some manmade world peace. Rather, it's the declaration that peace between God and man is now available to all men.”
As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers. And the only way to true peace is through Jesus Christ. And the only way to spread true peace is by sharing the Gospel to a fallen world, not through guns and bombs.
As Trewhella notes, this is not some pacifist call. If we must fight for our defense, then we must fight. But waging war for empire and worldly gain is antithetical to the Gospel.
Let us be the peacemakers by pointing this dark world to the only hope.
And let’s remember why we celebrate this day, and let’s show joy to a world that desperately needs redeeming.
