Sermon : 4Th Sun in Advent

The LCA provides this sermon edited for lay-reading, with thanks to the original author. Christmas Eve, Year B Luke 2:8-20

What are your hopes for our world today? People everywhere are longing for a safer world: safe neighbourhoods and safe travel. Since that first Christmas, men and women have longed for peace on earth and harmony on earth, that is, a world in which we can live together unafraid. There are different kinds of peace: the peace of a cemetery or a forest, or that of a tranquiliser. The peace Jesus brought to us is “peace such as this world can never give us.” This world’s peace is, at the very least, fragile. It doesn’t take much to wreck it.

Peace and harmony are threatened where other peoples’ needs and concerns aren’t put first. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, came into our world to bring us peace with God our heavenly Father. In one of our carols we sing:

“Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”

The life-transforming message of Christmas seeks to equip us to be ambassadors of reconciliation. Reconciled with God, we become eager to be our Lord’s agents of reconciliation in our extended families, among our friends, neighbours and workmates. God is glorified where this occurs. Where the good news of Christmas is welcomed, we cannot help but seek to do and say everything for the glory of God. As the Scriptures say, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).”

The angels’ Christmas song challenges us to ask ourselves, does a concern for peace, goodwill and harmony shape all my words and actions? Will this disagreement or dispute bring glory to God or promote my own interests? If not, then I need to pray instead: “Make me an instrument of Your peace. / Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love, / where there is injury, your pardon, Lord.” Such a prayer places peace back in our Lord’s hands, from whom it comes to us as a gift. Our Lord is thrilled to answer that prayer in ways that may surprise us. To encourage us to be an instrument of Christ’s Christmas peace, He says to us, “In Me you can have peace. In this world you will experience all kinds of trouble. But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”

Jesus Christ, our promised Prince of Peace pronounces His wholehearted blessing on our peacemaking activities: “Blessed are the peacemakers”. It’s not enough just to be a passive peace- lover. Our world desperately needs many more peacemakers at every level of society, in every community and neighbourhood. Christmas is the story of God, the offended party, taking the initiative to be reconciled with those who hurt Him. God made the first move to win us back through the gift of His infant Son.

Jesus gives us His heavenly peace so that we can speak lovingly to those who have hurt or offended us. Pass on His love to those who have wronged or hurt you by praying for them and asking Jesus to bless them. Such steps to peace and reconciliation glorify God. A Year 11 student was invited by his teacher to glorify God by acting as a peacemaker. He took his girlfriend Brittany to a restaurant for a meal. The waitress brought Brittany her food and then, as she was about to give Brittany’s boyfriend his meal, she spilled it all on the floor. The waitress instantly apologised. The student replied: “I forgive you. It’s no big deal.” The waitress was completed surprised. She said, “Most folk would be furious with me. Why didn’t you get mad?” The student responded, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes and had accidents, for which my God has forgiven me. God wouldn’t want me to be angry and upset with you.” The waitress returned with another meal. He didn’t have to pay for the meal. The waitress said to the teenager, “You made my day.” This Year 11 student glorified God by not getting upset with the waitress or judging her or putting her down. He glorified God with his unexpected response. The waitress didn’t expect forgiveness. But this student made the peace that Christmas can bring into a reality for an overworked and stressed-out waitress.

In all our personal relationships, we are to let Jesus be among us and between us, so that He may enable us to, “if it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with everyone (Romans 12:18).” Our Christmas celebrations will be triply blessed where that is our deep desire. The father in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son is a model peacemaker. He took the initiative and did all he could to have both of his sons reconciled with him.

There are times when we long for peace even more than we do happiness. When we give our Lord the broken pieces of our lives, He showers on us His unbroken peace. It’s the peace of unbroken fellowship with God amid life’s strains and stresses. The peace on earth Christmas brings transcends the circumstances of daily life. It’s stronger than life’s storms and stresses. Christ’s peace is symbolised by Him being fast asleep amid the storm on the lake. We make peace possible by responding to anger with kind and gentle words. Fortified by the peace that came down to our earth that first Christmas, we seek to maintain fellowship with all those around us.

A 12 year old girl, separated from her mother, once wrote to her: “I am learning English. The people are kind. It is good you wrote and sent me a picture of our old home. But, oh Mummy, if you could only come yourself. I would count that as my birthday present for all my coming birthdays. I want you yourself to come. If it is impossible for a day, just one hour will do.” That mother had written many words, but, above all, her child longed and prayed for the word to become flesh. The only answer to that human need was for the mother to be able to say, as she longed and wanted to say, “I must go myself.”

This is what God has done for us. In Jesus, God has come to us in person. The Word became flesh, because only in human flesh could God demonstrate His immense love for us. We now see the glory of God in the face of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has brought God’s glory down to earth to lift us up. Jesus came to restore for us the glory we lost in the Fall when Adam fell into sin. Jesus enables us to share in His glory so that we shine with a Christlike glow. Jesus is the visible glory of God.

There is no better Christmas gift than that. Jesus is the ONLY reason for this season. As the Christmas Prince of Peace, He enables us to walk hand in hand even when we don’t see eye to eye because we have His “blessed peace to cheer us”. What a wonderful Christmas treasure that peace is. We pray, “Lord, take from our lives the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Your peace.” Amen.