His Name Is...prince Of Peace

His Name will be…PRINCE OF PEACE

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Merry Christmas!

Stories of Pain…taken from Max Lucado

SHE HAS every reason to be bitter.

Though talented, she went unrecognized for years. Prestigious opera circles

closed their ranks when she tried to enter.

American critics ignored her compelling voice. She was repeatedly rejected for

parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders

acknowledged her talent.

Not only has her professional life been a battle, her personal life has been marked by challenge. She is the mother of two handicapped children, one of whom is severely retarded. Years ago, in order to escape the pace of New York City, she purchased a home on Martha’s Vineyard. It burned to the ground two days before she was to move in.

Professional rejection. Personal setbacks. Perfect soil for the seeds of bitterness. A receptive field for the roots of resentment. But in this case, anger found no home.

Her friends don’t call her bitter; they call her "Bubbles."

Beverly Sills. Internationally acclaimed opera singer. Retired director of the New

York City Opera.

How can a person handle such professional rejection and personal trauma and still be known as Bubbles? "I choose to be cheerful," she says. "Years ago I knew I had little or no choice about success, circumstances or even happiness; but I knew I could choose to be cheerful."

***

"I have everything I need for joy!" Robert Reed said. "Amazing!" I thought.

His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t

feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro®. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette.

Robert has cerebral palsy.

The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But

it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian

University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five

mission trips.

And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.

He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language.

Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about

Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.

Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, "I have everything I need for joy."

His shirts are held together by Velcro®, but his life is held together by joy.

Start of regular sermon….

She was just a young woman when God called on her to bear a special child. The child would be of miraculous birth, she had never been with a man before. The child would be the Son of God who would save the world from its sins. But along with the task came some unwanted costs…

- A fiancée that initially didn’t understand any of it and thought she had lied and cheated on him.

- A community that ostracized and shunned her for an unplanned pregnancy before marriage. And then when the “story” of angels came out they thought she was delusional.

- A long and difficult journey to another city on the verge of the due date after months of seclusion in her home.

- Having the baby in a smelly stable because there was no room and no mercy in Bethlehem.

- An egotistical king that sent killers after the baby to destroy him.

Why didn’t she become bitter? Why not lash out at God and abandon the plan and the faith?

Why didn’t she become bitter? Why not lash out at God and abandon the plan and the faith?

Because they had met the Prince of Peace!

Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

We have been studying the names of Jesus from this passage: