Sunday's Message - A Season of Peace

The Christmas Season is special regardless of your age. It's a time both to celebrate but also to meditate, a unique period when we're able to put aside some of our frustrations and disappointments and to enjoy all the sights and sounds that surround us for about a month and a half. Of course, for Christians, it's even more important, because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And for that reason, we have good reason to experience some very special feelings during this time of year.

And so, with that in mind, for the next seven weeks, we'll look at some of the reasons the Christmas season is special. You see, during what the church calls the Season of Advent and the Season after Christmas, we'll define this time in the following ways:

• November 28 – A Season of Hope (Luke 21:25-36)
• December 5 – A Season of Peace (John 14:23-29)
• December 12 – A Season of Joy (Luke 1:39-55)
• December 19 – A Season of Generosity (Matthew 1:18-25)
• December 26 – A Season of Love (John 15:9-17)
• January 2 – A Season of Glory (John 1:1-10)

During this second sermon, we looked at Christmas as a Season of Peace.

John 14:23-29 [Contemporary English Version]

Jesus replied:

If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. But anyone who doesn’t love me, won’t obey me. What they have heard me say doesn’t really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.

I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.

I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.

You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.

I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me.

A Season of Peace

If you were here last week, you know we started a new sermon series focused on Christmas. You see, during each of the services, we’re going to talk about one of six reasons why this season is special. And as you may recall, last week we kicked it off by looking at Christmas as a season of hope, something that we can experience when we trust that Jesus will return and set us free and when we recognize that what we see is temporary and when we become the kind of people who offer hope to others. You see, in spite of all the reasons we have to feel discouraged, if we’re able to keep our focus, we just might be able to feel some hope right now and even carry it into the new year. Now that’s what we talked about last week.

And I’ll tell you, we did something else last week that, if I’d been thinking ahead, we probably should have done this morning. You see, last week, this is what we sang at the end the end of the service. 

Now understand, last week, I picked it because I really like it and since it’s in our hymnal I thought, what the heck. But in light of our focus this morning, “I heard the bells on Christmas day” would have been the perfect song to sing at the beginning of this service, simply because, during the rest of our time together, we’re going be looking at how Christmas can be a season of peace. 

And you know, it’s interesting, just like we said about hope last week, man, I think a lot of that can also apply to peace. In other words, peace also seems to in pretty short supply now-a-days. For example, just the other day, I read that the Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, had to warn that Russia would face “severe consequences” if it invaded Ukraine. Now that’s not good. And neither is all the tension and hostility right here in the United States. On Thursday, I read an article entitled “My Worry for America.” It was written by retired General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA, and an officer who served in Sarajevo during the Yugoslav civil war. And this is how the article ended:

Charlottesville, police and protester clashes, a Capitol Hill insurrection, Lafayette Park, Black Lives Matter, the election, the big lie.

I am worried about our country, as I was about Bosnia 30 years ago.  We have a fundamental issue. Can we solve it, or not? [“Why I Worry for America,” The Cipher Brief.]

Let’s just say, we’re surrounded by a lot of conflict. But you know, I don’t think we have to look at just this big stuff to see a lack of peace. I’m telling you, throw a dart into a crowd. You’re probably going to hit a person who’s struggling with some kind of personal or family problem that ties their stomach into knots and causes their blood pressure to rise. And as they move toward Christmas, often the stress actually gets worse. And I’ll tell you, personally, I think that’s a real shame, because isn’t this suppose to be the time for “peace on earth, goodwill toward men”? At least, that’s what Burl Ives sang just a few minutes ago.

And so, with all that in mind, this morning we’re going to talk about how we can celebrate Christmas as a genuine season of peace. And to do that, we’ll take the passage I read from the Gospel of John as well as some other scripture in the New Testament and consider three things we might want to do to ratchet down the tension and to turn up the peace. 

And I’ll tell you, in my opinion, it all starts when we decide to accept peace as a gift from God. Now, I think that’s the first thing we can do to return Christmas to a genuine peace season. In other words, God gives us peace. And you know, isn’t that exactly what Jesus promised his disciples, and I’m talking about after the crucifixion and resurrection? Again, just listen to what he said in the passage we just read, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” [John 14:27, CEV] Now that’s what he said. But you know, a little later in the same conversation, the last he would have with his disciples before his arrest, Jesus made the same promise again.

Jesus replied:

Do you really believe me? The time will come and is already here when all of you will be scattered. Each of you will go back home and leave me by myself. But the Father will be with me, and I won’t be alone. I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world. [John 16:31-33, CEV]

You see, twice Jesus promised his disciples that he would bring them peace. And if you have any doubt about whether or not he did it, listen to what happened after the resurrection.

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [John 20:19-22, NRSV]

You see, not only did Jesus make a promise, he delivered. He offered peace to his disciples and conveyed it through the Holy Spirit. And I’ll tell you, I believe he does the same thing for us. In the face of a hostile world and all the tension we might feel on the inside, this is still God’s gift to us. And you know, if we accept it right now, I think that’s the first step in making this Christmas a season of peace.

And then, after accepting it as a gift of God, second, we can decide to claim this peace as a lifestyle. You see, we can sort of integrate it into our minds and our hearts and our hands so that it can truly shape our thoughts and our feelings and our actions. In other words, we can follow the advice the Apostle Paul offered to the Philippians. He wrote:

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you. [Philippians 4:4-9, CEV]

You know, I’m convinced that the Devil wants us to be tense and stressed. And he wants to us to distrust and hate. And he wants us to attack and defend. I’m telling you, if he can keep us all stirred up and angry, man, he’s won, hasn’t he? But you know, we can sort of elbow check him when we simply relax and experience this peace that God offers. As Peter wrote, “I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus” [2 Peter 1:2, CEV] and a little later in the same letter, “My friends, while you are waiting, you should make certain that the Lord finds you pure, spotless, and living at peace.” [2 Peter 3:14, CEV] I’m telling you, after we accept it as a gift, we can allow what God has given to shape our attitude and our outlook. In other words, when we decide to claim peace as our lifestyle, that’s the second step in making Christmas a genuine season of peace.

And then third, after all the accepting and all the claiming, we can decide to pass a little bit of peace on to those around us. In other words, we can choose to become bonafide peacemakers, and I’m talking about the kind of people Jesus described when he said, “God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!” [Matthew 5:9, CEV], folks whom James also praised when he wrote, “When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” [James 3:18, CEV] You see, if we want to feel more peaceful ourselves, we can become the conveyers of peace. And I’ll tell you, there are all kinds of ways we can do it. But you know, regardless of the specifics, somewhere down the line, I think they all involve intentionally putting others before ourselves, you know, turning the other cheek and walking the second mile and doing what’s necessary to reduce tensions. It’s sort of like what Paul wrote to the Romans, 

Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone.

Dear friends, don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,

“I am the one to take revenge

    and pay them back.”

The Scriptures also say,

“If your enemies are hungry,

    give them something to eat.

And if they are thirsty,

give them something

    to drink.

This will be the same

as piling burning coals

    on their heads.”

Don’t let evil defeat you, 

but defeat evil with good. [Romans 12:17-21, CEV]

Or as Peter wrote in his first letter,

Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble. Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you. The Scriptures say

“Do you really love life?

    Do you want to be happy?

Then stop saying cruel things

    and quit telling lies.

Give up your evil ways

    and do right,

as you find and follow

the road that leads

    to peace.

The Lord watches over

    everyone who obeys him,

and he listens

    to their prayers.

But he opposes everyone

    who does evil.” [1 Peter 3:8-12, CEV]

You see, after we accept it as a gift and claim it as a lifestyle, using the words of James, we can plant the seeds of peace. In other words, we can decide to pass it on to those around us, and that’s the third step in making Christmas a genuine season of peace.

You know, even though the song talks about “peace on earth, goodwill to men,” when you get right down to it, peace seems in pretty short supply now-a-days, even at Christmas. But I’ll tell you, for that reason, I think it’s particularly important for us to accept it as a gift and to claim it as a lifestyle and to pass it on to others. And trust me, when we do that, I think we’ll be able to celebrate Christmas as truly a season of peace.