Baby Steps Toward Peace

Baby Steps Toward Peace

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:76-79

Intro: Jill is the mother of a two year old little girl. Jill was having one of the worst mornings in her life. The washing machine hose broke and flooded the entire laundry room. She received a phone call from a collection company saying a bill was past due and needed a payment as soon as possible. She called the bank and only had less than $100 dollar in her account. The baby didn’t like the oatmeal she had fixed and so she was playing with it and most of it ended up on the floor underneath the table. Some of it ended up in her hair. Her husband called and said he was going to be late for work that morning because he had a flat tire. Almost to the breaking point Jill put her head down on the table and began to cry. When she did her two year old baby took her pacifier out of her mouth reached over and put it in her mommy’s mouth. All of us have had those kinds of days. There is an old saying, “When it rains, it pours.”

One of the simplest but most powerful and most effective ways to live a happy, victorious, and joyful life is to stay calm when you are in the midst of a difficult situation. When you can be at peace when everything else is chaotic and confusing you are proving that you have something great when you are trusting in God.

Did you noticed the scripture reading from Luke is not talking about the birth of Jesus but instead is talking about the birth of John the Baptist. Zechariah, was a priest in the temple in Jerusalem. He has just shared the prophecy that had been foretold for hundreds of years before about God's plan to bring His righteousness and His plan to bring salvation beginning through Abraham in the Old Testament and even unto us this very day and continuing into the future eternity yet to come. God often chooses to begin His work through tiny and vulnerable babies.

The birth of Cain and later the birth of Abel began the serious demonstration of pain in childbirth as a result of Eve and Adam’s sin and fall in the Garden of Eden.

Exodus begins with the story of the birth of the baby Moses being hid in the tall reeds near the Nile River.

The story of the births of Isaac and Ishmael begins the division of kingdoms and nations as God told Abraham that he would make a nation both of Isaac and God would also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son Ishmael. Because they were both children of Abraham and both heirs to the promises of God. Genesis 21:8-13

The story of Rachel and Leah has significance in the bible. Rachel the beloved wife of Jacob is infertile at marriage and cannot have children at first but Leah the unloved quickly produces Jacob his first four sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah), and later then two more sons (Issachar and Zebulun), and a daughter (Dinah). These make half of the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The baby John the Baptist is to play a key role in the theater of ages as he begins the proclamation that Jesus is the promised Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, the Messiah.

And of course the birth of Jesus and the Nativity as God who has unlimited power becomes human in the form of a helpless baby Jesus to save the world.

There are some things every parent remembers: A baby’s first grin or smile or laugh. A baby’s first words. A baby’s first steps.

Today we are going to talk about “Baby Steps Toward Peace.” “Baby steps” are something we also need to learn from and practice. The first “baby step” toward peace is to ask…

I. Are You at Peace with Yourself?

In others words are you comfortable with your actions? Can you live with your decisions? Are you happy as a result of your choices?

Albert Einstein said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.

So, if you are unhappy with the way certain things are in your life but you keep doing the same actions over and over again then guess what you need to change.