A Christmas Truce

It seems cliche to wish for world peace. Maybe something you would see on the stage of Miss America. But is world peace really so achievable in this day and age? Even at Christmas it seems hard to call a truce. In fact, the Christmas Truce of 1914 only lasted for 24 hours. When you look over the course of history, the statistics are against us. Since 1975, nearly 40% of all peace deals around the world have failed within the first 5 years. Because of greed, grabs for power, or even fear; peace seems to always fall short. Human history has proved that time and again. It seems that the more we try to achieve peace on our own, the less we can reach it. But is that how it’s supposed to be? Left to ourselves, can we achieve peace? Truth be told, history proves a resounding no. As believers, though, we’ve come to know that there is a better way. King David once said, the Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace (Psalm 29:11 NIV). The apostle Paul would write centuries later to the Thessalonian church a prayer that the Lord of peace himself [would] give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NLT).

So for us today, maybe peace can’t be manufactured. Perhaps when we really sit and think about it, peace comes from somewhere else entirely. It’s in this season that we celebrate a child who came down from heaven. The Son of God himself came to bring us His very own peace. And as He prepared himself for the end, Jesus said to His disciples, I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid (John 14:27 NLT). True, everlasting peace isn’t something we sign up for. It’s something given to us through salvation in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. He offers something that we could never hope to gain on our own. His gift of the Holy Spirit birthed in each believer will begin to work peace throughout each and everyone of us. So let it start with you. Let it start with me. Let every nation rise and sing this melody. Fill the air with joyful noise. Bring the bells and raise your voice. Let there be peace on earth (Voctave, This is My Wish/Let There Be Peace on Earth).

The Prince of Peace still reigns. His throne and kingdom will never end. In Him, we can find true and everlasting peace. It’s a peace that passes all understanding. So as we journey through the rest of this season, ring bells and raise a joyful noise. Let there be peace this season across the earth and let it begin inside each of us thanks to a Savior born to us!