Let the Peace of God Come Into Our Hearts
Every year at this time, many of us get exhausted or we are under stress from our responsibilities. Christmas is looming around the corner. There is still so much to do.
This is a stressful time for many of us. The Advent season was supposed to be our chance to get ready, but in another week, it will be over and the glorious awaited and anticipated day will be here. We already started decorations at the church and our houses. All the decorations will be in place, the amazon packages and gifts will all be wrapped, the gift cards will have been sent--then, whether we are ready or not, Christmas Day will arrive.
Are you prepared for Christmas? I mean the real Christmas. Christ in Christmas! Not the Christmas of Santa Claus and reindeer and decoration and expensive gifts--even though these things hold their importance and significance. Are you ready for the birth of the Messiah?
Isaiah spoke of this Messiah long before Jesus’ birth: “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.” (Isaiah 9:6)
His name is called Prince of Peace. Christ comes to bring peace into a weary world.
Paul the apostles says in Philippians 4:4-5. He gives us a formula for getting our hearts ready for Christmas. Listen closely to his words: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is near. (at hand). Again, He says in verses 6 &7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.”
In these words, Paul gives us a comprehensive formula for finding peace this Christmas--a peace which, as he says, surpasses (transcends) all understanding. Let’s consider for a few moments this formula Paul gives us and see if it brings us peace during this Advent season.
Let’s begin with “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Christmas is a time for the spirit of joy. Nehemiah 8:10, Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength". In Luke 2:10-11 we see: “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” But St. Paul’s approach to “rejoicing in the Lord always” means that we accept the present suffering in the world and at the same time rejoice in the Lord. Paul wrote this letter from prison--while on death row. He was in chains, waiting to find out if he would be sentenced to death.
Paul had an amazing and joyful spirit. Let us read II Cor. 11:25-28. Three times he was shipwrecked; he was stoned. Five times he was scourged, and he was beaten many times as well. He’d been the focus of riots and death threats, and after one tormenting, near-death experience, he endured a venomous viper bite! Yet these experiences could not take away his joy.
It is obvious from Paul’s example that joy does not mean everything is going your way. Joy does not mean receiving everything you desire in life. Joy doesn’t mean having enormous or expensive gifts under your Christmas tree. Joy doesn’t come from fame and prosperity. Joy comes from an inner assurance that whatever you are going through, whether good times or bad, that God is with you.
Guess what! Do you know, which is the right time for dancing, it is at Christmas. The Lord of all the heavens and earth has come into our world as a tiny babe. What a supreme cause for celebration. In some churches the third Sunday in Advent is known as Gaudete (gow-DEH-teh) Sunday, from the Latin word for “rejoice.” Philippians 4:4, 5: "Gaudete Domino semper" ("Rejoice in the Lord always"). It is a reminder that as we await our Lord’s second coming, we do so in a spirit of anticipation and hope. This season invites us to prepare our hearts not only for Christ’s return but also for the joy of celebrating His birth. This joy is threaded throughout the season, echoed in the carols we sing and the promises we remember—“Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Even amid the busyness of this time of year, this time calls us to pause and recognize the deep and abiding joy that Christ brings.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” writes St. Paul. Some of us fail to walk in the joy of the Lord.
Next Paul says, “Let your gentleness be known to all men.” That is an interesting thought. Advent and Christmas are a time for gentleness.
Let me tell you an interesting story on gentleness.
Two nicely dressed women were standing outside a department store, waiting for it to open. They began talking. One woman was very rich and lived in New York City. The other woman was gentle and soft-spoken, and she was from the South.
They started talking about Christmas gifts.
The rich woman said, “For our first Christmas, my husband built me a huge, beautiful mansion.”
The Southern woman smiled and said, “Well, bless your heart.”
The rich woman went on, “For our second Christmas, my husband bought me a brand-new Tesla car.”
Again, the Southern woman said, “Well, bless your heart.”
Then the rich woman said, “For our third Christmas, my husband bought me this diamond bracelet. It was so expensive you might faint if I told you the price.”
Once more, the Southern woman answered, “Well, bless your heart.”
Finally, the rich woman asked, “What did your husband give you for your first Christmas?”
The Southern woman replied, “He sent me to Charm School.”
“Charm School?” the rich woman said, surprised. “Why?”
The Southern woman smiled and said, “Charm School teaches you good manners—how to speak politely to friends and neighbors. For example, instead of saying, ‘I really don’t care,’ I learned to say, ‘Well, bless your heart!’”
Gentleness -‘softens’ the hardest situations. Why? Because Christ Himself is gentle.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”.
We don’t often think of the gentleness of God. We know of God’s power. We know of His holiness. But how often do we think of His gentleness? Yet this same God who created the heavens and the earth became one of us. He emptied Himself and took on human form, even the form of a tiny babe. It’s a thought too amazing for us to comprehend.
I love the way Mark Lowry put it in his beautiful Christmas song:
“Mary did you know . . . that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you . . .”
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near,” writes apostle Paul.
And Paul also reminds us: “For He Himself is our peace.” (Ephesians 2:14)
Christ doesn’t just give peace—He is peace. His peace inside us makes gentleness possible even in stressful moments.
Then he writes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.”
No wonder Paul could rejoice--even while waiting in prison to learn his destiny. No wonder when people oppressed him and abused him, when they beat him and said all manner of terrible things about him, he could respond with a magnificent gentleness. He had learned life’s greatest secret: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
It is so easy to be thankful during Christmas, isn’t it? We have so much. Santa Claus will reward us with so many nice things. The stores are filled this year with symbols of our material richness. But for some people material riches only masks spiritual poverty. They are purchasing a lot of Christmas things for their external decorations, but internally they are bankrupt.
Don’t carry anxiety; let God carry everything.
Jesus Himself promised this peace: 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 (John 14:27)
This is the peace the world cannot give.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Christmas is not only about decorations, gifts, but about preparing our hearts for Christ. I want to end with three important keys that you takeaway:
Rejoice always — not because life is perfect, but because God is with us through every circumstance. Pure joy is rooted in Christ’s presence, not materialistic things.
Show gentleness — just as Christ came gently into the world as a baby, we are called to reflect His tenderness in a season often filled with stress and impatience. Simple acts of grace and kindness can transform any given situation into one of peace.
Replace anxiety with prayer — bringing everything to God with thanksgiving; He opens the door to His peace. Earthly pressures cannot impede what God promises: a peace that surpasses all understanding.
As we enter Christmas, Paul assures us that when we rejoice, practice gentleness, and pray with grateful hearts, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” writes Apostle Paul, “I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Then Paul, at the authority of the Holy Spirit, makes us a promise, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” May this divine peace fill your life this Christmas. Amen.
