Where is the Peace on Earth?

Christmas is here!  It is a time of "Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to Men", right?  So where's the peace? On a personal level, many of us are scurrying about, stressing over last minute shopping, work deadlines, meal planning, or travel plans.  Extended families are coming together, which brings it's own brand of stress.  Whose feathers will be ruffled by Aunt Ethel's outlandish remarks this year? Still others would even welcome family strife as they face a difficult and lonely Christmas without loved ones who have been taken from them by circumstances, divorce, or death.

On a national and international level, we have a deeply divided society, an acrimonious political atmosphere, and strained foreign relations.   There are parts of the world where people are fleeing for their lives or starving right where they are.   Our news feeds are filled with reports of terrorist attacks, assassinations, and threats of still more attacks.

So is this whole idea of "Peace on Earth" a Christmas fantasy like Santa Claus?  Or do we all just need to try harder to capture the holiday spirit of giving and hold on to it throughout the year?  Judging from the last 5000 years of history, relying on people to just "be better" to one another isn't going to happen.    As hard as it may be to admit, we just aren't capable of making ourselves into a Utopian society.  It's wishful thinking.

But wait!  It is precisely into the midst of this dark hopelessness that the light of Christmas shines.  The message of Christmas is that God inserted Himself into human history - to say to us "Look up!  This isn't all there is!"   He revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ, also called "Emmanuel", which means "God With Us".    It was also through Jesus that God would make a way for us to be with Him, in spite of our hopeless imperfection.

It is for this reason, that the angels could declare that Jesus' birth meant "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men".    I get stressed and depressed when I look only at what is right in front of me - the deadlines, the headlines, the heartache.  But when I step back and look at the big picture, and remember that this is all temporary, that it is all in God's hands, and that He has already given me a future with Him, then I can be at peace.  This is the peace that Paul described as "peace that passes all understanding".   It was certainly not logical that Paul would speak of peace when he wrote these words.  He wrote from prison, likely during the reign of Nero, which was certainly not a peaceful time, especially if you were a Christian.     The peace of Christmas isn't about an idyllic scene filled with gorgeous decor, angelic faces, and giving hearts.  It is a peace that transcends our circumstances and our news feed,  and is available to all who look to the Promise of the manger as it's source.