Advent--the four weeks leading up to Christmas--are a season of waiting as we prepare for the celebration of Christ's birth. However, Jesus said he would come again to bring a New Heaven and a New Earth. Advent is also to prepare so we will be ready when Jesus comes. No one knows the day or our of Christ's return for the world; it could be in the next moment or in a thousand years. However, everyone can be sure Christ will come for them individually in their life time--for no one escapes death and when we die we will each see Jesus face to face. Will you be ready? Can you be at peace with your inevitable personal encounter with the second coming of the Son of God? now is the time to prepare so you can have real peace.
Luke 2:(8-12,) 13-14
8 That night there were
shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the
Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
They were terrified, 10 but
the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good
news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the
Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him
by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in
a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of
others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and
peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
A Fear Evoking Sight
Verse 14 is the key verse I want you to consider. The angels sang, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”It is no wonder the angel started his message by saying, “Don’t be afraid!” It would be quite frightening to see an angel appear in the middle of the night. The shepherds were prepared to protect their sheep from wild animals and thieves, but what do you do with an angelic being? And then it was not just one angel, it was a whole army from heaven!
Peace? Really?
How freeing and exciting it can be when we witness something of amazing power and majesty and also know we have nothing to fear. I think that may have been how Jesus felt. Remember the time a terribly fierce storm arose while he and the disciples were out on a boat? The disciples are afraid for their life, but Jesus is asleep. You see, he had nothing to fear from the storm. His only concern was the cross he would be nailed to one day. So he could enjoy the storm--marveling in the power and wonder of it or let the wind and wave and thunder sing him to peaceful sleep.
Are you afraid of the thunder? What if you were absolutely certain the storm would not harm you? Could you then just watch and enjoy the thrill and beauty of it all? What about life? What about the eventual end that awaits us all?
Real Peace
Real peace is knowing Jesus is Lord of all and submitting to Him. Surrender to him is the source of true peace. When the armies of heaven come, the only ones who need to fear are those who fight against them or who are enemies of God. But Jesus forgives everyone who truly surrenders and accepts him as Lord. Those, he saves. Surrender means trusting in God’s way, not ours. And we have to accept that God’s way is not our way. Things will have to change. We have to find peace with the changes God brings as He rights all the wrongs in our world and our lives.
You can have real peace because of what Christ has already done for you. The Bad News is we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23). No one can be good enough to earn God's love or favor. And unfortunately, the consequences of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). So, anyone who tries to win God over by the things they do is bound to fail miserably. Not only will you fail miserably to bring peace and order and fulfillment to your life, you will also live in fear of as an rebellious enemy of God. That is the Bad News, but the angels came to bring Good News and here it is!
The Good News is God sent Jesus to be born as a human being, to live as one of us (but without sin), and to die to cover the consequences of our sin. So we don’t have to be guilty or ashamed or afraid. God, through Jesus Christ, has already done everything that needs to be done. As Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Now, that doesn’t mean we do nothing. First of all, we have to surrender. The war is over. God has won. He offers forgiveness and reconciliation to all who surrender. Second, Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like a master who went away on a trip. He put the servants in charge until his return. Now the servants must decide if they are going to do the Master's will or if they will just goof off until the Master returns. What will the Master find His servant's doing when He returns?
Over the next few weeks, many of you will receive guests in home for the holidays. Many of you are preparing for your guest even now--cleaning, vacuuming, mopping, washing, putting things away. But what if you're guest showed up a few days early? Would you be ready? Or would you be ashamed your guests would find your home in disarray with things still out on the counter your didn't want them to see? It would be better if we all just kept our homes clean all the time so we would have nothing to be ashamed of if a guest came unexpectedly.
Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour when he will return (he doesn't even know himself, only God knows). Therefore, we should always strive to always have you life in order, to be doing the things Christ asks his followers to do. That way we will have nothing to fear and we can have real peace. So live your life in such a way that people always know you love them and nothing is ever left undone or unsaid that need to be done and said.
Let There Be Peace on Earth Real Peace starts with you and spreads to those around you. It starts with the choice you make today, right now. It continues with the choices you make as you start each new day as you choose to follow Jesus’ plan instead of your own until Jesus’ plan is your plan. It spreads as you share the Good News and love of Jesus with everyone around you. Before you know it, peace spread further and further as more and more surrender to the true Lord of Heaven and Earth.
United Methodists have a wonderful Hymn in our hymnal written by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson. Here is an excerpt about the song from https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-let-there-be-peace-on-earth.
Jill Jackson shared the story of how the
song was written: “When I attempted
suicide [in 1944] and I didn’t succeed, I knew for the first time unconditional
love—which God is. You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you
are. In that moment I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me,
which is very difficult to explain. I had an eternal moment of truth, in which
I knew I was loved, and I knew I was here for a purpose.” This realization was followed by years of
exploring her spiritual nature and her relationship with God.
In 1955, Jill wrote the lyrics for “Let
There Be Peace on Earth” while her husband wrote the melody. The song was
introduced at a retreat for a group of young people. Sy Miller wrote about the effect of the song:
“One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and
religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms,
formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with
its simple basic sentiment—‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with
me’—helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding.
“When they came down from the mountain,
these inspired young people brought the song with them and started sharing it.
And, as though on wings, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ began an amazing journey
around the globe. It traveled first, of course, with the young campers back to
their homes and schools, churches and clubs.”
Miller noted that the song was then shared
in all 50 states at school graduations, PTA meetings, holiday gatherings,
celebrations of Brotherhood Week, Veterans Day, Human Rights Day and United
Nations Day. Kiwanis clubs sang it, as well as 4-H clubs, United Auto Workers,
the American Legion, etc. The song was
taped, copied, printed in songbooks and passed by word of mouth. Eventually it
spread overseas, sung by Maoris in New Zealand and Zulus in Africa. The song has been recorded by a host of vocal
artists including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Pat Boone, Johnny Mathis, and Harry
Connick Jr.
It received the George Washington Honor
Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge for “Outstanding achievement
in helping to bring about a better understanding of the American Way of Life.”
The National Conference of Christians and Jews has also honored the composers
with the Brotherhood Award. In 2009 Random House published “Let There
Be Peace on Earth” as a children’s book.
All this from a song written and sung at a retreat
for a bunch of kids. It’s amazing how
Real Peace can spread when you and I make a choice to let the peace of Jesus
live inside our hearts and share it with everyone we meet. Will you make that choice today? Pray about it as you listen to these words of
the song:
Let There Be Peace on Earth
(#431, The United Methodist Hymnal)
Let There Be Peace on Earth and let it begin
with me.
Let There Be Peace on Earth, the peace that was
meant to be!
With God our creator, children all are we.
Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me. Let this be the moment
now.
With every breath I take, let this be my solemn
vow;
To take each moment and live each moment in
peace eternally!
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin
with me!
