What is peace? We talk about Jesus being the Prince of Peace, a peaceable ruler of a peaceable kingdom, but what exactly does that mean? What does it look like? And how do we participate in it? We may associate peace with a lack of conflict, or being free from burdens and constraints, or stillness, or wholeness, or agreement.
I will not try to define peace here, but simply offer 14 snapshots (scripture, story, litany, reading, song) to consider. I invite you to engage with each section by taking a moment to meditate on it, paying attention to the words and ideas and images which stand out to you. In the scripture verses, I have highlighted the words that relate to peace, just to give a focal point. I invite you to enter into peace.
1. "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!" (Isaiah 9:6-7, NLT)
2. "One of the most remarkable stories of Christmas comes from one of the darkest moments in modern history. World War I ravaged a continent, leaving destruction and debris in its wake. The human cost, well in the millions, staggers us. But from the midst of this dark conflict comes the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. The Western Front, only a few months into the war, was a deplorable scene of devastation. Perhaps as if to give the combatants one day to breathe again, a truce was called from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day.
"As darkness settled over the front like a blanket, the sound of exploding shells and the rat-tat-tat of gunfire faded. Faint carols, in French or English voices on one side and in German voices on the other, rose to fill the silence of the night. By morning, soldiers, at first hesitantly, began filing out of the maze of trenches into the dreaded and parched soil of No Man's Land. There was more singing. Gifts of rations and cigarettes were exchanged. Family photos were passed around. Soccer balls appeared. Up and down the Western Front, soldiers, who only hours before had been locked in deathly combat, now faced off in soccer games.
"For one brief but entirely remarkable day, there was peace on earth. ... Here's [a] line from the diary of a German infantryman: '... Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friend for a time.' ... But these celebrations, these truces, don't last. After Christmas Day, the soccer balls and the soldiers went back into the trenches. ...
"Events like the Christmas Truce are worth celebrating. But they lack something. They lack permanence. Such impermanent peace is what we often find in our quest for the real meaning of Christmas. If we are looking for permanent and ultimate goodwill, love, and peace, we must look beyond our gift-giving, get-togethers, and office parties. We must look to no other place than to a manger." - from Peace: Classic Readings for Christmas by Stephen J. Nichols and Simon Pemberton
3. Jesus: "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)
4. A litany on peace (from www.franpratt.com):
God, we are longing for a silent night --
For a reprieve
From noise and anxiety and hurry;
For a moment
Of space and time, empty yet full.
Gift us the gift of quiet.
This is the Peace:
Of baby’s breath
Of feathered wing
Of rustling leaf
Of sphere’s turn
Of light beam.
The heavenly peace in which we long to rest
To sweetly sleep
In safety and freedom
In certainty and repose.
We can smell the peace
Coming on the wind.
We can feel the peace
Arriving with the morning.
We can taste the peace
In the bread and cup.
We look in your direction, God
The Place from which peace comes;
For you are its Author and the home of its Prince,
And in your peace we dwell.
Amen
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'" (Luke 14:13-15, NLT)
6. “As the prince rules, peace develops. He is thorough and complete in what he does. Peace is the harmony that comes from putting everything together so it fits. I try to get peace by getting rid of what irritates me; God gets peace by restoring everything to health. I try to get peace by getting rid of what I don’t like; God gets peace by loving the unruly and unlovely into a life-changing salvation. I try to get peace by saying, ‘Shut up. I don’t want to hear it anymore’; God gets peace by saying, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’” – Eugene Peterson, As Kingfishers Catch Fire
7. "And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful." (Col. 3:15, NLT)
8. "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6-7, NLT)
9. "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up." (Rom 14:17-19, NLT)
10. "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thess. 3:16, NLT)
11. "Shalom is taken from the root word shalam, which means, 'to be safe in mind, body, or estate.' It speaks of completeness, fullness, or a type of wholeness that encourages you to give back — to generously re-pay something in some way. ... True biblical shalom refers to an inward sense of completeness or wholeness. Although it can describe the absence of war, a majority of biblical references refer to an inner completeness and tranquility. In Israel today, when you greet someone or say goodbye, you say, Shalom. You are literally saying, 'may you be full of well-being' or, 'may health and prosperity be upon you.'" (Doug Hershey)
12. "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." (Matt. 5:9, NLT). "In this verse, Jesus is not referring to mediators or political negotiators, but to those who carry an inward sense of the fullness and safety that is only available through son [daughter]-ship with God. In the biblical Hebrew understanding of shalom, there is a point at which you have so much shalom that it spills out from you, and is repaid or rendered to others. And so, as you make others peaceful and inwardly complete, that makes you a peacemaker. Jesus said these peacemakers will be called sons [children] of God. Jesus was called the Son of God. By sharing God’s uncontainable peace with others, we become just like Jesus." (Doug Hershey)
13. "May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace." (Num. 6:24-26, NLT)
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace." (Num. 6:24-26, NLT)
14. Take a few moments to listen to this song and practice being in a place of peace. Let us invite the Spirit to teach us the way of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. (Hear Oh Hear by Kris MacQueen)
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Image from charterforcompassion.org
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