Today marks the 3rd week of Advent. Our Advent season began with us talking about Christmas HOPE. We learned that our HOPE is in the fact that our Savior has come. God showed us that the reality of Christmas is the fact that our Savior has come. The miracle of Christmas is also that our Savior has come. In fact, the entire message of Christmas is focused on the fact that our Savior has come.
If Jesus had not come, there would be no reason for Christmas. There would be no celebration of Christmas. There would be no hope of Christmas. Why? Because our hope lies in the fact that our Savior has come. And that brings us JOY.
We talked about Christmas JOY last Sunday. We found that JOY and happiness are two different things. God taught us that even the circumstances in our lives right now might be making us sad, but we can still have the JOY in our hearts because Christmas JOY is God’s gift of love.
On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, God speaks to our hearts about Christmas Peace. The Apostle Paul explained God’s peace as a “peace that surpasses all understanding.” But let’s take a few moments today and look at peace as presented to us in God’s Word. PRAYER.
Are the Christmas holidays the most peaceful time of the year for you, a time when you finally get to experience some peace in your life – is that Christmas? “Sleep in heavenly peace,” goes the hymn. “Peace on earth,” the angels sang. Is that true for you?
Many of us don’t “sleep in heavenly peace” during the Christmas season. We can’t sleep. Our “heavenly peace” is replaced with earthly stress. The pressure of finding the right gift at the right price, the pressure of having the perfect family get-together even when your family is less than perfect, the pressure of decorating just right, cooking, baking, traveling. There’s the pressure of being happy and joyful.
But what if you’ve lost a loved one, and this time of the year reminds you of that loved one, and you feel a little depressed and down. You miss that person this time of the year. And you ask yourself, “What’s wrong with me? I’m supposed to be joyful and merry, but I’m not.”
Have you ever felt that stress during the Christmas season? What a pleasure it is to take a break from all of that, and to find some peace in the Word of God. In the familiar story of Mary and Martha, it teaches us something about holiday stress, and how there can be such a thing as peace on earth during the Christmas season. READ.
Luke 10:38-42 – “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
*******41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Can you imagine hosting Jesus at your house? How much work would you do to get ready? Mary and Martha were doing a lot of work. They wanted everything to be just right. The Savior of the world was stopping by for a visit. Jesus arrived, sat down, and started to talk. And that’s when Mary stopped what she was doing, and sat at Jesus’ feet, and listened to what he was saying.
But Martha kept going. Many things still needed to be done. And then she got mad. “Look at Mary just sitting here while I do all the work.” And that’s when Jesus spoke those famous words: “Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen what is better.” Literally, the Bible says, “Mary has chosen the ‘good part,’ and it will not be taken away from her.” Mary stopped getting the house ready. She stopped preparing the food. She stopped trying to make everyone else happy. And she chose the good part, the Word of God, that Jesus shared with her.
Can you hear Jesus speaking these words to you? He knows how worried and stressed you can be. There is so much to do. So much to get ready. Jesus comes to you and reminds you to choose the “good part” of Christmas. There is something more beautiful than all the decorations in the world, more satisfying than the best Christmas dinner, more enjoyable than the perfect family get-together.
There is something that’s better. After all the decorations are taken down, and all the food is put away, and all the relatives go home, and Christmas music stops playing, and you wonder how it all could end so quickly, there is one part of Christmas that goes on forever. Something that will not be taken away from you.
And that is the Christ of Christmas. He comes into this world as an infant, God hiding in the little body of a baby. He’s here, God himself. He comes because He loves you, and everyone else in the world. He comes because we have this problem of sin that we can’t get rid of. And because of this sin everyone we love eventually dies. And because of this sin, we all deserve to go to hell.
And so God comes in the flesh on Christmas. He picks a lowly family. He’s born in a lowly place, and lives a lowly life. Eventually He dies a lowly death. And then He rises from the dead, and all the sins of the world are taken away, and death is defeated, and hell is replaced by heaven for all who believe. This is God’s plan of salvation for you and me, and it all starts in a stable in Bethlehem.
That’s the “good part” of Christmas. The part that lasts. The part that brings you peace. This is why Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year.” Think of all the creative ways the story of Jesus is told at Christmas.
The most beautiful songs in the world, songs about Jesus, are sung by everyone at Christmas. Children are so excited to celebrate the birth of their Savior. Listen to them shout it out at all the Christmas programs. Isn’t that the best part of Christmas? There are other things to enjoy as well – the family gatherings and all that goes with them, and it’s all fine and good. The gift of peace. This gift was part of Christ’s original birth announcement made by the angels:
Luke 2:13–14 – “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Whether it be printed on a greeting card or on a sign outside a church, the proclamation of “peace on earth and goodwill to all” often comes to the forefront around Christmas time. These few short words sum up for many the warm feeling that comes with Christmas, that gives us hope, a spirit of generosity and a kindly disposition toward others.
But if we lift our heads above the Christmas decorations and take a hard look at the world around us, the frequently used words of comfort and cheer seem hollow. For many of us, Christmas time isn’t exactly peaceful. In fact, it’s just the opposite—stressful, busy, hectic, and demanding.
You’ve got gifts to buy and presents to wrap, parties to attend and dinner to prepare, and let’s not forget church! Let me tell you, there’s nothing peaceful about getting kids dressed and ready for church on Christmas morning. And then there’s the world at large. There’s so much war and unrest. The ongoing war between Palestine and Israel and the other countries getting involved. In a world filled with war and worry, peace can be hard to find.
Yet this is the world Jesus came to. The song “Silent Night” creates calm, peaceful images in our mind, and it’s often a worshipful three-minute respite in the midst of our hectic holiday preparations. But that original silent night was not actually very silent. The world was not at peace.
There was a divide between God and people. There was conflict among families and nations. There was political unrest and Roman oppression in Israel. There was demanding physical travel forced on Mary and Joseph by Roman politicians. And there was turmoil in the hearts of many. But in the midst of all this, Jesus came bearing the gift of peace. Centuries before Jesus was born, His birth was foreseen by the prophet Isaiah. In a section of the Bible often read in churches at Christmas, we find this proclamation:
Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Peace isn’t a pill, or a program, or a philosophy. Peace is a Person—Jesus. Only the Prince of Peace can give the gift of peace. Jesus says,
John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
So, what kind of peace does Jesus give and what makes it so excellent? The Bible speaks of three types of peace that we can experience, thanks to Jesus. First, Christmas brings eternal peace.
• ETERNAL PEACE
This is the most important type of peace because eternal peace is peace with God. When we know Jesus, we can experience eternal peace because of what He started in the manger and finished on the cross. The Bible says,
Acts 10:36 – “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—"
Our first and greatest need for peace is to be at peace with God. Our sin separates us from God. From the time sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, humans have been at odds with God. Our sin and His holiness are not compatible. They are not at peace—in fact, they’re at conflict with each other. This is the reason God sent Jesus to earth that first Christmas.
So, when we believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord, we are at peace with God. This eternal peace with the Creator is the greatest gift we can receive this season. It is available to us all. But it’s up to us to receive and unwrap this precious gift. But then, besides ETERNAL peace, Christmas brings emotional peace.
• EMOTIONAL PEACE - Emotional peace means peace within, which is something I think we’re all hunting for during the holidays. One lady told her friend, “My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of chips and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.”
Fortunately, God knows the unrest we feel within ourselves. He made you and knows your deepest thoughts, hurts, joys, and desires. He knows your need for peace within. And He knows the broken world surrounding us and all the unrest clamoring around and against us.
Paul said that God gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding. What a beautiful promise! What a powerful peace that we can experience! Look at that phrase: God’s peace “transcends all understanding.” It defies our world and our circumstances. It calms us when everything going on around us is not conducive to peace. In other words, it shows itself most strongly in circumstances where peace just does not make sense. Maybe that’s a tragedy or an illness or a conflict or a heartache. No matter how bad your situation, God is there . . .with you . . . offering the gift of His peace that is stronger than whatever difficulty you face.
What’s causing you anxiety this Christmas? Have you taken it to the Lord in prayer? Whatever your situation or stress may be, give it to Jesus, draw near to Him and experience His peace in your heart. So, there’s eternal peace and emotional peace, Christmas also brings external peace.
• EXTERNAL PEACE - External peace means peace with others. It’s one thing to experience peace with God and within your own heart; it’s a whole other thing to experience peace with other people, isn’t it? And so, we sing Christmas carols and it seems to calm spirits down.
Of course, we know not every problem can be resolved by singing Christmas Carols. What about the situations we can’t change, the relationships that are broken, the chaos we can’t calm, the hurt we can’t heal, the violence we can’t understand?
What do we do with the need for peace in our world? This again is where we recognize the two natures of the Advent season. Christmas celebrates the first Advent when Jesus was born, but also points us forward to the Second Advent when Jesus comes again.
The same angels who announced the birth of Christ appeared again after His resurrection and ascension promising that one day Jesus would return from heaven. The peace we long for in our world is a peace that is still coming. There is a peace today in Jesus, and there will be complete peace that is yet to come in the world. In the time between, where we are now, we trust in Jesus’s promise that He has indeed overcome the world.
This Christmas, Jesus comes to you, just as He came to the home of Mary and Martha. And then you can put aside those other things. You’ll never get everything done, and that’s OK. Jesus is here. And you can go and sit at His feet, and there you will find the good part, peace on earth.
Listen to His Word, ponder His love for you, and then you will finally be able to sleep in heavenly peace.
