World War One began just over 97 years ago. By the end of the war, 15 million would die, 20 million more wounded. It was the largest scale of casualties in human history. Just this year, the last combat veteran of what was called “The Great War” died. He was Claude Choules who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy), and died 5 May 2011, at the age of 110 (wikipedia.com).
There is a touching story from the early days of the first world war. Less than 6 months into the war, soldiers from both sides were locked into trench warfare, holding their lines against one the opposing army. It was Christmas Eve, 1914. There are varied accounts of what happened, but for during the night of Christmas Eve and on the following Christmas day, soldiers from both sides declared an unofficial “truce.”
Some say it started when the German troops lit candles on Christmas trees that were sentn to them from home. Eventually, Carols were being sung in German, and echoed in English and French. English bagpipers accompanied German soldiers singing “Silent Night.”
Throughout the night, soldiers exchanged greetings, and by daylight, many ventured across the barbed wire into “no mans land” to shake hands with their enemies. The men exchanged buttons from their uniforms, and Christmas treats from home. One English private wrote home to tell his parents how much the Germans loved mom’s “Christmas Pudding.” He wrote “if we would have had an ample supply of Christmas pudding, every German on the lines would have surrendered” (Private Frederick W. Heath, http://open.salon.com/blog/lost_in_berlin/2011/12/23/the_christmas_truce_of_1914_an_eyewitness_writes_home
Gary Kohls documents the events in his story.
“An over-confidant Kaiser Wilhelm had even ordered 100,000 Christmas trees, with candles for decoration, to be delivered to the German trenches for Christmas, ...to boost morale. And then the spontaneous events happened at various points on the 700-mile-long trench lines that stretched all across France. The singing of Christmas carols started an extraordinary chain of events that culminated in acts of mass treason that would never be duplicated in the history of warfare. One of the best-loved versions of the story was that the Germans started singing “Stille Nacht” and the British responded by singing the English language version, “Silent Night.” Then, the French and Scots joined in and all sides sang together in their own tongues, the Scots accompanying the Germans with their bagpipes.” Gary Kohls, “The Christmas Truce of 1014" http://consortiumnews.com/2011/12/16/the-christmas-truce-of-1914
Stanley Weintraub, writes more about this unique night in his book, “Silent Night.”
For a moment, Jesus brought PEACE.
We have been studying Isaiah 9:6. Today we come to the fourth two-part description of the Messiah. Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
It is now 2,000 years after Jesus came. In spite of man’s effort, peace cannot be found. In fact, there seems to be more and more violence in our world.
Why Does Peace Escape Us?
For the people of Judah in 734 BC, there was no peace. The context of Isaiah 9 takes place during the reign of King Ahaz. Judah was at war with five nations (see 2 Chronicles 28). The mighty Assyrian army was threatening to conquer Judah along with the rest of the world. Judah was in trouble and needed help. God’s prophet Isaiah was given a message of hope, a Child would come that would deliver God’s people and bring them peace.
The Prince of Peace is “śar šālôm.” Shalom is the greeting used in Jewish and Arabic. It means more than just the absence of war. Brown Drivers and Briggs define shalom as “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace” (BDB).
This is a very broad term that is meant to express the best possible desires to the person who receives the greeting. It means so much more than our typical “hello,” or, “hi, how are ya?” The closest equivalent would be to wish someone “the very best possible life filled with goodness, completeness and joy.”
In one Old Testament example, Joseph expresses his concern for his father Jacob and his long forgotten family in Canaan by asking about his shalom. Genesis 43:27 "And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” Even though the Hebrew word here is shalom, most English translations insert the word “welfare” to describe Joseph’s concern. Shalom means much more than just pleasantness.
This kind of wholeness, this completeness escapes us. We long for shalom, but never seem to find it. The reason for this is because our HEARTS are ruined because of sin.
In Isaiah we read about our condition. Isaiah 59:8 "The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace.”
Last month, I read a story that first appeared to be some form of weird terrorist act. Amish men and women were being beaten and forcibly shaved of their beards and long hair. It turns out that this was not some strange form of terrorism, but rather an fued between two sects of Amish. The Amish are supposed to be pacifists. They are supposed to be peace loving. Here is the story from ABC News. Nov. 23, 2011, ABC News).
Seven Amish men have been charged with hate crimes for cutting the beards and hair of Amish men in a different religious sect. The men, all family members of bishop Samuel Mullet, Sr., allegedly forcibly restrained multiple Amish men and cut their beards and hair with scissors and battery powered clippers, injuring the men and others who tried to stop the attacks, according to a statement by the Department of Justice. The attacks grew out of a religious feud between Mullet and the wider church, according to the criminal complaint against the Mullet family. Mullet, as the head of the Bergholz clan sect of the church, excommunicated eight families who chose to leave the sect under his rule. His decision was investigated by the 300-member bishops council of the Amish church, which determined that the excommunications were vindictive and unfair, and overruled them.
I lived in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and conducted business with many Amish people. They were all very nice. I’m sure that this story is a rare event. But isn’t that interesting that jealousy and violence can affect even the Amish? Notice that they used battery operated shavers to carry out their devious plans. Apparently electric shavers are a violation of their rules! Too bad they disregarded far more important rules than whether or not to plug in your shaver!
This story is a small reminder that the source of evil is found in our hearts. We don’t have to look further than the morning paper or the internet headlines to discover another story of murder, war, violence or injustice. It is all around us.
It is a reminder that without God’s Grace, THERE IS NO HOPE. Isaiah described the condition of man’s wickedness in the following manner: Isaiah 57:21 "There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked."
But Jesus came to bring peace! He himself is our peace. Ephesians 2:14 "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,"
The angel proclaimed that he would bring peace. Luke 2:14 "“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”"
Jesus described himself as the giver of peace. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
How Can We Have the Peace that He offers?
We must BELIEVE in order to have Peace WITH God. Our fellowship with God was ruined when Adam and Eve sinned. God had to remove them from his perfect garden and post an angelic guard at the gate to keep them from entering. His Story of redemption reveals that God has offered the terms by which our peace with him can be gained again.
This peace with God comes only through the sacrifice that Jesus made at Calvary. He MADE PEACE through his BLOOD. Colossians 1:19–22 "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—"
The Peace of Jesus is available only when we believe that our relationship with God is broken and that the sacrifice of Christ is the means by which we can be at peace with God. Romans 3:23–25 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, " "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. " "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—"
Once our relationship with God is established through faith in the sacrificial work that Jesus performed on Calvary, we are then capable to experience the Peace OF God.
This peace is described in Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When describing the Christian life, the Apostle Paul often wrote about the presence of peace. Romans 8:6 "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;”
One man who learned to experience this peace was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For the famous American poet and author, Life was well. After the death of his first wife, he met Francis Appleton. He courted her for seven years! She finally said yes! Longfellow experienced fame and success. He earned an excellent income from his literary works.
Fanny and Henry had six children and lived comfortably. When President Lincoln was elected, Longfellow and his wife were elated over the election of Abraham Lincoln which he thought would bring peace and freedom to the nation.
The following year, Civil War began. On July 9, 1861, in the early days of the war, Fanny was sealing locks of her daughter's hair using hot wax. Henry was asleep in the next room. Suddenly, he awoke to Fanny's screams. He rushed into the room to find Fanny engulfed in flames. Longfellow covered the flames with a rug that was too small, burning his own hands and face. Fannie died about 12 hours later. Henry was too badly injured to attend her funeral.
His face so badly burned that he could no longer shave. His heavy white beard becoming a trademark of his persona.
His diaries tell the story of his life:
Christmas Day, 1861: "How inexpressibly sad are the holidays"
Christmas Day, 1862: A merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me"
in 1863 his son ran away to join the Union Army. He returned in December badly injured. There is no journal entry for 1863.
But on Christmas Day, 1864, Longfellow sat down to try to capture, if possible, the joy of the season. He began a poem...
I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet, the words repeat, of peace on earth, good will to men.
As he came to the third stanza, he reflected on his world. War. Gettysburg. His son. So many young men had died....
And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Isaiah wrote about the prophetic peace that Jesus will accomplish when he Rules on earth. These passages include many memorable passages from Isaiah.
Isaiah 2:4 "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."
Isaiah 11:6–9 "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. " "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. " "The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. " "They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Isaiah 32:16 "Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field."
But until Jesus comes again and enforces His rule, peace is something that comes to us one heart at a time.
Longfellow continued his poem...
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
In invite you today to discover Peace with God, and to believe that the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross were necessary to settle your estrangement from God. Believe in Him today and discover his peace!
