Peace, Good Will Toward Men

On my son Ethan's birthday twelve days ago, his kindergarten class had a small party for him. His teacher asked him what he wished for his classmates on his birthday. Ethan replied, "Peace."

I don't know where he came up with that. It wasn't planned, but it was a good thought from a six year old.

The Gospel of Luke, chapter two, tells the familiar Christmas story of the birth of Christ to the Virgin Mary in a cattle stall in a little village called Bethlehem. It then describes how an angel appeared to shepherds out watching their sheep in the night and announced to them the birth of their Messiah. "Fear not," the angel said.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Then an angel chorus of multitudes joined in to say, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, Peace, Good Will Toward Men."

The Christmas season is an especially poignant time when families get together, friends are reunited, rivalries are set aside, and for a few days people try to get along in peace. How sad that in America atheists, with the apparent blessing of the government and a progressive judiciary, are trying desperately to remove the reason for the peaceful season.

Everywhere people are searching for peace. The purpose of the United Nations was to try and establish or maintain peace worldwide, but everywhere you look there is no peace. There is an ongoing drug war along the US-Mexican border. In the Philippines there are the Abu-Sayaf, and the Moro Muslim movements that want to split the country; there is the devastation in Tacloban, Leyte, and in Samar from the recent typhoon, and corrupt government officials are walking away with donated relief goods and selling them in Manila. There is unrest in Thailand, persecution of Christians in China.

The Middle East is in flames. Libya is still not stable two years after Khadafi was overthrown. Yemen is the new recruiting and training center of Al Qaeda, which is not on the run. There is unrest in Egypt after the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood government, and Coptic Christians are being persecuted, driven from their homes, and their churches burned down. The civil war in Syria has killed over 100,000 people, and the Al Qaeda backed rebels, with illegal support from the current US administration, has wiped out and murdered entire Christian villages. Even Turkey is in trouble. War continues in Afghanistan. Suicide bombers still plague Iraq. Iran continues on its quest for nuclear weapons. The North Koreas threaten to use nuclear weapons every time they feel a little belligerent. There are civil wars across the African continent, including an erupting conflict in the world's newest nation, South Sudan.

AIDS is still a global problem. Malaria is a scourge in the tropics and Africa. New strains of diseases combat medicine. The global economy with high unemployment everywhere is on the brink of collapse. People are fearful of the future because there does not appear to be much peace in the world today.

But they are looking in the wrong places. People look for love and fulfillment in immoral lifestyles that only bring heartbreak and often disease; they look for escape in alcohol and drugs that bring only a temporary forgetfulness, but make their problems worse; they look for meaning in power by hurting and putting people down who are weak, and still they are empty; they look to religion and find contradiction; they look to government for answers to individual problems and find it has none.

It is interesting that in the Christmas season, the time we celebrate peace and God's love, the highest rates of suicide occur. The reason is that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (I John 2:15-17), all that the world offers, cannot bring satisfaction to the heart or peace to the soul.

Peace is only found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). The angel said, "Fear not." There is reason to have faith and hope because he announced the good news, news that will bring great joy. This news was not limited to the Jews, or to any small group of people. It was for everybody.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The Savior was born. No longer does anyone need to fear about their eternal destiny. The Messiah has arrived; the One who will take away all our sins has come. Peace comes by putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Christ came, born of the Virgin Mary, to live a perfect, sinless life, because we are sinners (Romans 3:23).

He came with the intention of dying for our sins on the cross because we could not pay for our sins on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Then He rose from the grave as proof that He can raise us up to heaven. This is the gospel:

That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:3-4)

Without Christ we are bound for hell (Romans 6:23), but if your faith is in Christ, His Christmas gift to you is eternal life and a place prepared in heaven. Jesus is the only way (John 14:6).

You don't need to fear the future. Jesus came as a baby in the manger to become the Christ on the cross to give you peace, and you can have peace in your heart by receiving Him as your Savior.

Dear God, I am receiving the Christmas gift of Jesus Christ and the eternal life you have promised. I understand that I cannot save myself, and that Christ is the only Savior. I am repenting of my sin, and asking you to forgive me and to come into my heart and save me. In Jesus name, Amen.

May the peace of Christ be yours. Merry Christmas.