It seems like such an incongruous combination. It’s Christmas week, and the carols are heralding “peace on earth, good will to men.” But the headlines are heralding the highest level of potential terrorism danger since 9/11. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas – and an orange – for “high” – terror alert. Thousands are rushing to airports to be home for Christmas – and running into a sudden new gauntlet of security measures. A strange “merry Christmas.”
Yes, the celebrations and get-togethers will go on as scheduled, and no terror “grinch” will be allowed to steal Christmas. But even at this season when love and peace are in the air, so is this reminder that we continue to live in a dangerous world.
In many ways, this untimely intrusion of terrorism concerns at Christmas is a reminder of why there is a Christmas. And why the promise of Christmas may mean more than ever before.
Three times an angel appears in the Biblical narratives of the first Christmas – once to Joseph, once to Mary, and once to the shepherds. And each time, the angel’s opening line is the same – “Do not be afraid.” Those words sound especially welcome in a world where there often seems so much to fear – not just from terrorism, but from random acts of violence, from medical verdicts such as “It’s Alzheimer’s” or “It’s malignant,” from economic upheavals or multiple wars or that unexpected call in the middle of the night.
Heaven’s “do not be afraid” comes from the ultimate reality that no terrorist, no downsizing, no disease, no evil is ultimately in charge – God is in charge. Struggling with a deepening despair, the famous poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, found hope one dark night from the ringing of the Christmas bells. He had lost one wife to a fatal illness, his second wife in a tragic fire, and now had a son wounded in the Civil War he hated. And yet, he penned the famous words of the carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”
He wrote: “In despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men.’“ But, then, with defiant hope, Longfellow declared: “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.’“ That should be played as the underscore for tonight’s news!
Sadly, for many – maybe for you – the promise of “peace on earth” is only that – just a promise, but not a personal reality. Nice words for a Christmas card but no real antidote for the incurable turbulence that rages in your heart. The truth is that lasting peace of mind is something that has eluded many of us since we were teenagers. None of our relationships, none of our accomplishments, none of our experiences – not even our religion – have brought lasting peace and deep security to our soul.
That’s why Jesus came that first Christmas – to do what it took to end the conflict that has made our heart a “roaring camp” rather than a safe harbor. He came, because the “peace on earth” we need the most is not so much peace between nations, but peace in our soul – which comes when the greatest conflict of all is finally resolved. The Bible speaks of it this way: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
We’re at war with our Creator – that is the shocking reality that explains why we never feel really safe or secure. For most of us, it’s not a matter of open hostility toward God, just the polite defiance of ignoring how He wants us to live and living the way we want instead. And in a statement that ultimately tells us how to finally find that “peace on earth,” the Bible first goes so far as to describe us as “God’s enemies.” If we’re going to be afraid of any terror, it ought to be the terror of God’s anger and punishment for our hijacking of a life He created.
But what follows is a road to hope, not hopelessness. It explains why the Christmas angels said that Christ’s arrival was “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10), and that He would bring with Him “peace on earth.” The Bible says, “When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). It is not inappropriate that we have a tree at the center of our Christmas celebration – because it was on a tree – a criminal’s cross – that the Son of God gave His life to pay the awful death penalty of every wrong thing you and I have ever done. So the war could end. So the peace could begin.
And it can begin in you this very Christmas – if you will wrap your arms around God’s Son in total trust as your only hope, your only Rescuer from the penalty of your sin. One of the names for Jesus in the Bible is “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). But He has to be your Prince for you to have His peace.
Three days after the September 11 events that suddenly sent nearly 3,000 people into eternity and shattered our sense of security, the President quoted these words from the Bible at a national prayer service: “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). There’s the anchor that brings peace to the human heart. Love that is “unloseable.” Forgiveness that makes you clean. Security that is anchored in heaven, not on earth. Peace that is disease-proof, disaster-proof, terror-proof, death-proof.
At this season when we have been reminded again of our vulnerability and how much is out of our control, it makes more sense than ever before to be sure you belong to the One who has “the whole world in His hands.” The Jesus who came into our world at Christmas can come into your life this Christmas – upon your invitation. Finally, “sleep in heavenly peace” can be more than beautiful words for you – this very night you can go to sleep with the heavenly peace of knowing you belong to the God of the universe and that you are ready for eternity, whenever it comes.
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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. “Practical Answers to Real Life Issues”
[see also #14974 and #33955]