All I Want For Christmas Is Peace 2025 Series

All I Want for Christmas is PEACE

Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

11-30-2025

No Peace

I met her as I had met many addicts before - at the doors of the psychiatric hospital I worked at after seminary. Her drug of choice - crack cocaine. Her husband had brought her in and was desperate to get her help.

It was two days before Christmas.

I did an assessment and determined that she needed to be hospitalized immediately, to which she reluctantly agreed.

When I went back to the unit to check on her a couple of days later, one of the nurses said that she had checked herself out AMA (Against medical advice) and left.

Honestly, I shrugged. It wasn’t the first time that had happened and wouldn’t be the last.

I thought of her on Christmas Eve. We had gone to Memphis and it had actually snowed a little. Joshua was a baby and was sleeping soundly. The lights of the tree illuminated Maxine face and everything seemed peaceful. We would celebrate the hope of Christmas the next morning.

But, as I learned later, that night was not filled with peace for Lisa She was craving peace. Is it possible that she had her radio on as she drove around looking for a dealer? Could she have heard Joy to the World?

She handed the dealer money and then extended her shaking hand to receive what she thought would give her peace. But this time, he didn’t give it to her and told her to get lost.

She argued. He pulled and gun a fired. She stumbled back to her car and got half way down the street before crashing into a pole. That night, in the season of peace, she died without peace for this life or the next.

I think about Lisa every year at this time. She had lost hope. Hope of ever being free of the addiction. Hope of ever dealing with sadness in a way that would have brought her heart healing. She was searching for peace in a place that promised false peace for a price.

Our World

There are so many people in our world today that are searching for peace. Their hearts are restless, souls are empty, and their lives are frantic.

In the midst of a culture torn apart by political divisions and fear of the future, is there any hope of peace?

It just seems hard to find peace in our world.

That’s one of the reasons that people like Lisa look to drugs or alcohol or sex or food or relationships for peace.

As of this morning, there were 28 different wars going on right now in our world, according to the global conflict tracker website.

There’s a lot of people in our society trying to sell us peace. I found a website called “Tiny Buddha” that will give you 8 steps toward inner peace. And if you type in the phrase “world peace” in the Amazon book section, over 50,000 titles come up!

This morning, we are going to find that you can have peace but it is not found in a plan or program but a Person - Jesus!

Turn with me to Luke 2.

Prayer

Their World

Mary and Joseph’s world had been turned upside down by angel announcements and a miracle pregnancy. They had traveled a long way to come to Bethlehem for the census. They are tired, Mary’s back is killing her, and there is no place to stay for the night.

They live in a culture waiting for peace. The Romans had given the world peace from war (Pax Romana) but even the Romans knew that wasn’t real peace.

Epictetus, a first century pagan writer, expressed this:

“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 for more than even outward peace.”

This is the world that Mary and Joseph live in.

They settled down in basically a cave and the animals starred as Mary went through childbirth.

There were shepherds nearby and suddenly an angel appeared:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)

The term good news is where we get our word “Gospel.”