Peace, it is a word we long for, a state of being we pursue, and a promise that we cling. We may envision it as a quiet evening by the fire, a moment of silence in a busy day, or the relief we feel when a conflict is resolved. We often seek peace in a well organized to do list, a healthy bank account, or a harmonious family gathering.
Yet, for many of us, true peace remains elusive. Our inner lives are often overwhelmed with anxiety, worry, and relentless striving. While externally life is filled with division, noise, and the constant pressure to keep up. The peace we manage to grasp is often fragile, temporary, and easily shattered by the next headline, the next unexpected bill, or the next difficult conversation.
When we think of peace, we often view it as a cease-fire, a temporary break from the battle. We hope for a peaceful election. We hope for a peaceful night’s sleep. We hope for a peaceful resolution to a disagreement. But that is not true peace. Real peace isn’t a fleeting absence of conflict but a profound, unshakable presence that transforms how we endure life’s storms. This is the peace of Christmas, a peace anchored not in our circumstances, but in the certainty of God’s arrival.
Peace in the Midst of the Mess
The Christmas story is often sanitized and presented as a silent, serene night. But the first Christmas was anything but peaceful, in the worldly sense. The world was under the heavy hand of Roman occupation, a time of political unrest and heavy taxation. Mary and Joseph were forced to travel a long distance while she was heavily pregnant. They arrived in Bethlehem only to find “no room in the inn”, which brought stress and the feelings of rejection.
It was into this chaos, this discomfort, this very real mess of human life, that the angels appeared to the shepherds with their incredible announcement: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
This peace was not a call for the Romans to lay down their swords, nor was it a promise that Mary and Joseph would suddenly be upgraded to better lodgings. It was the declaration that the Prince of Peace had arrived.
The Challenge of Unsettling Peace
The peace of Christ is not passive; it is active and unsettling. It challenges the way that we typically try to secure peace for ourselves.
If we are honest with ourselves we would recognize that we seek peace through control; controlling our environment, our finances, and the people around us. But Christ’s peace demands surrender. It asks us to let go of our need to manage every outcome and instead trust the one who controls all things. It is the peace of knowing that even when life is messy and the future is uncertain, God is sovereign and present.
This peace motivates us to live differently. The arrival of the Prince of Peace is a commission for us to be peacemakers. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This is the challenging part of the Christmas peace: it calls us out of our comfortable silence and into the difficult work of reconciliation, in our families, our workplaces, and our communities.
When the angels declared peace on earth, they were inviting the weary world to stop chasing a temporary cease-fire and start receiving an eternal certainty.
A Gift That Transforms
As you navigate the noise and demands of this Christmas season, take a moment to reflect on where you are trying to create peace and where you need to simply receive it.
The gift of peace offered through Jesus Christ is one that transforms our inner lives, transcends our external circumstances, and brings an unexplainable calm to the soul. This is the peace of Christmas: a certainty we can count on, a presence that allows us to rejoice even when the world around us is still in turmoil.
May we all stop striving for a cease-fire type peace and start living in the unsettling, indescribable peace of the newborn King.
Have a blessed and joyous Christmas!
Written by Sam McKeen
