Peace! Is it as elusive as it seems?
There is a strong need for us discuss the issue of peace today. If we look around us, not many of us find peace, but conflicts and war and strife and violence in abundance all around us. Two seasonal aspects brought this topic up to the top of my mind.
The United Nations asks its member nations to celebrate September 21, every year as the International Day of Peace . We could dismiss this as just another international day that the global body has recommended, or treat this as the most important day. Whichever side we are on, it is sure that all of us hope for at least one day of peace without any conflicts or wars or violence. Is it possible? I was trying to ascertain whether Ukraine and Russia observed cease fire on that day. The results were disappointing. On the International day of peace, (21st September 2022) Russia pounded Kharkiv, (Ukraine’s second city) with missiles. President Putin called for a mobilisation of 300000 reservists, a first time after WW II . So much for celebrating the International day of peace!
Why do we crave for peace? It might be a rhetorical question. Chris Hedges in his book “What Every Person should Know About War” presents a chilling statistic that out of the last 3500 years of human history, only 258 years have been without any wars . That is a measly 8% of total human history. In other words, we live in a world where more than 90% of the time, there are active conflicts and wars happening around us. That should tell us why we crave for peace. Because it seems so elusive, going by today’s standards.
The sad part is that this problem is not just at the global level. This percolates down to our nation, our state, our city, our homes, between parents and children, between siblings, between spouses, between neighbours, among community members, among religious groups, within churches, among denominations, among political parties, among colleagues in offices, between organisation leaders and employees. The list can go on. War is everywhere.
The good news is that a solution is available. Much before the UN’s declaration of International day of peace, there was one day that the world recognised as a day of peace and cease fire was practiced on that day. That day is Christmas. Luke 2:14 teaches us that the overarching theme of Christmas is “Peace on earth and goodwill towards men” . The question that the Lord has placed on my mind to explore today is this; What do we need to do to experience that peace, and enjoy that good will that Christmas promises?
First, believe in the fact that Christ is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 2:2-5 provides a comforting study on this. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the Lord ( Isaiah 2: 2-5, NKJV).
The prophet is talking about the last days, the second coming of Christ, when His kingdom will be set up in this world. The establishment of the heavenly Jerusalem. The prophet is prophesying that Christ’s church will be established across all nations. And this shall be done voluntarily. “All nations shall flow into it” is the terminology that the prophet uses. This is not by coercion or compulsion, but by free will. They will voluntarily accept the gospel and accept Jesus as the only Prince of Peace. The word, the gospel shall go out from Zion and reach all corners of the world. Then comes the promise of everlasting peace, something that we all are looking forward to. A type of peace where there will be no need for weapons. The nations will convert their weapons into tools for daily work. There will be no war anymore. This is the promise. And just as any other promise in the Bible this too will be fulfilled. We know that the prophesies about Jesus Christ are all fulfilled. This prophesy about establishing His kingdom all over the earth, His judgement of the nations, and His second coming will also be fulfilled, and we will have everlasting peace. Remember, Jesus said, I will build my church. That is a definitive promise. He will keep it. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the only one.
The second thing we need to believe in is the fact that Jesus is the light of the world. Isaiah 9:2 described this light. The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV). Please note that this promise is in the past tense, unlike the promise of peace (given in Isaiah 2:2-5) which is in the future tense. This is because this light that Isaiah is speaking about has already come, during the first advent. When Jesus declared that, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12, NKJV),” He was merely making it clear that the prophesy has come true. Jesus’ announcement meant that He will lead us to the place beyond the darkness that people were in at that time. This is true today. Jesus, the light of the world has already come down to us, so that we don’t have to grope in darkness. We have access to that light, He will lead us beyond the darkness we see all around us in this time and age. Paul confirms this ; “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6, NKJV).
So, what is our challenge as we celebrate another advent season? Another Christmas? Another new year beginning? If we know that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He will ultimately establish His kingdom on earth and if we believe that He has already started that journey by being the light of the world, and can show us the way to that everlasting peace; what should we do as His children?
Our call is simple. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)”. Yes, that is right, we are special people, chosen by Him, we have been given the light. We have been called from darkness to light. We need to live lives worthy of that calling. We need to “proclaim praises of Him”. As citizens of the kingdom of light we need to live our lives with hope and faith despite the seemingly unending darkness that we might see all around us today. That is temporal. What is permanent is what Jesus offers. So as we celebrate another advent, another Christmas, another new year, let us put our hope in Him alone, who promised everlasting peace. Let us not be disheartened by the wars and conflicts and persecutions and troubles that we see all around us. Let us not be fearful of the future. Let us not be proud of our achievements till date. Let us not put our hopes elsewhere, like in the government, or judiciary or a particular political party or an activist group. Let us put our hope only in God’s true Promised one, Jesus Christ. Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help (Hebrews 4:14-16, Message). Let us accept the grace that has been poured upon us through Jesus Christ. Let us live our lives as Citizens of the Kingdom of Light and the coming Kingdom of Peace.
Let us make this our New year challenge!
