Christmas Advent Bible Reading Plan: Jesus Is BornSample

To Offer Us His Peace

They were your everyday men, working their day jobs in the field. Perhaps they joked as they took turns napping, watching out for wild animals. Maybe they passed the time with stories of the good old days as they settled in for another long, dark night.

But then…the light! A glorious, blinding light splits the curtain of stars.

Men who would take on a lion to protect their flock shook with terror until they heard the voice: “Don’t be afraid…Today in the City of David a Saviour was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11). Now, imagine the light multiplied, stars blotted out by a host of burning beings, their voices echoing in the hills:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

And peace on earth to people he favours!” (Luke 2:14).

From the fall in the garden of Eden to now, peace is hard to come by on this earth. To many, peace feels like a distant dream, a childish hope. But that is the beauty of Christmas, isn’t it? On this day, we feel the build-up of the Advent season, and we remember the centuries of waiting, reliving ancient stories of how the sky blazed on an ordinary night, proclaiming the wonder of a boundless God with a beating infant heart. But the peace the angels proclaim here is offered, not forced. It is a visionary peace reflecting God’s creative approach to healing a hurting world.

Just over thirty years later, the holy child, now a grown man, would echo the angel’s words of comfort: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful” (John 14:27). And because of Him, peace truly is possible: in our hearts, in our homes, and even in our world. Christmas comes into our darkness, lighting up our hearts with joy.

All too often, peace can feel like a distant, unreachable dream, but just like the shepherds all those years ago, our lives can be interrupted in a moment as we are reminded of the peace that was brought into the world that night.

Prayer

Jesus, we thank You that You brought peace into our broken world 2000 years ago. I take time to rest in Your peace today. Help me not get lost in the craziness of the world. In Jesus' Name, Amen.