Peace

Matthew 1:18-25

Peace

Have you ever gone through an incredibly disturbing time in life?

Have you ever been hit so hard by some bump in life’s road that you felt knocked down, and perhaps nearly knocked out?

Ever hit rock bottom?

I would imagine most of us who have been alive for a certain amount of time have experienced seasons of extreme hurt, loss, sadness, pain, uncertainty, loneliness and darkness.

I remember such a time in my life.

I felt at the end of my rope.

Doom and gloom enveloped me.

I was sitting at rock bottom.

And it was at rock bottom that I had a life-changing realization—Jesus was right there with me.

I called a friend and said to him, “Rock bottom isn’t really all that bad after-all because Jesus is here with me.

And that is all that really matters.”

Jesus has many names and titles: “Son of David, Son of Man, Son of God, Savior, Redeemer, Christ, Messiah and many more.

But the one in our Gospel Lesson for this Second Sunday of Advent is one of my favorites: “Immanuel” which means “God with us.”

This goes to the heart of what Christmas is about—God is with us.

Is there any greater news than this?

In this wild and unpredictable ride that we call “life,” there is one thing we can always count on, one constant: Our Creator chooses to be with us through it all.

No matter what unpredictable events take place in our lives, Jesus is right there with us, guiding us, comforting us, challenging us, helping us to take the next step in God’s plan for us…

…And above all, He here with us offering us something that is, above all, priceless—and that is PEACE!

It’s the peace that we are not alone.

It’s the peace that God is ultimately in control and has our best interests in mind.

It’s the peace that God loves us beyond measure and has come into this world to be with us, teach us how to live and ultimately save us through Jesus’ death and Resurrection.

When Joseph heard the news that Mary was pregnant, he might well have been convinced that this was the worst day of his life.

I’d imagine most of us would feel the same way.

But you know what?

At the very moment when Joseph was feeling his lowest, God was at work in Mary’s womb, doing the greatest thing God had done since the creation of the world.

God was engineering the birth of the Savior of the world, and God was also inviting Joseph to play a critical role in God’s plan.

Something amazing was about to happen, but Joseph couldn’t see this yet.

And that is often the case, when we are going through rough times.

God has better plans and if we just hold on to God’s outstretched hand, things will get better, the light will dawn and we will come out on the other side of whatever it is better, stronger and involved in something magnificent for God.

If we can just remember this when the going gets rough and we are tempted to give up, to quit.

If we can just remember that God isn’t finished with us yet!

In my life, God has taken the pain, the disappointment and heartaches and used them in profound ways that I can only see and understand later as I look back.

This is what the Apostle Paul experienced in his life and it’s how he was able to say, “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28).”

If Joseph had simply walked away the day he learned that Mary was pregnant, leaving Mary as a single mom to raise Jesus, imagine what blessings Joseph would have missed out on and how different the Gospel story might have been.

Instead, that night Joseph went to sleep; and, as he slept, he had a dream that was almost like a vision.

He saw an angel of the Lord.

“Joseph son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph made the decision to believe the angel’s message, and he took Mary home to be his wife and he raised Jesus as his own and he was “at peace” with his situation.

An angel may not speak to you or me through a dream or a vision, but the good news is that God has many ways to appear to us, and to guide us on life’s journey.