Ephesians 2:13-18 - Jesus Comes to Bring Peace - December 18, 2022

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind (Luke 2:14). In a few moments these children will echo the words of that well-known angelic hymn. Think about the key words of that hymn: peace and good will. Would you describe 2022 as a year of peace and good will? Or do those words ring hollow when you look at your life and the world around you? Does it ever seem like peace and good will are things that can be printed in Christmas cards and children can sing about, but the rest of us know to be just an impossible dream? Do you ever look around at your life or your family or the world around you and think “peace? No, I don’t see much peace. I see worry, frustration, hatred, jealousy, murder, terrorism and war?” That’s the reality, isn’t it?

And because of that reality, the obvious absence of peace, many are tempted to think “let’s just skip Christmas, it’s just a contrived distraction from a far from peaceful reality anyway.” If that thought has ever crossed your mind, you’re not alone. In fact, the leader of the largest Christian church in the world – Pope Francis – said something similar just a few years ago. “Christmas is approaching: there will be lights, parties, Christmas trees and nativity scenes…it’s all a charade. The world continues to go to war. The world has not chosen a peaceful path.” [1] Is he right? Were the angels lying? Is Christmas just a charade? Should we just skip it this year?

First, we need to take an honest look at what really causes unrest and destroys the peace in our lives and in the world. The devil is very good at leading people to all sorts of mistaken conclusions as to why they lack peace in their lives. “If I could only afford to buy my kids what they want this year, we would have a peaceful Christmas.” “If only my family would lend a hand with getting everything ready, I would have peace.” “If only inflation would ease up, if the price at the pump would go down, then I would have peace.” “If only the political parties would work together instead of constantly bickering; if only everyone or no one had a gun; if only we would open or close our borders; if only Russia and Ukraine would stop fighting – then, we could have peace.”

I’m not saying that those issues aren’t real. They are. But they are only symptoms of the underlying problem. The underlying problem is much deeper and far more widespread. The real reason we don’t have peace in our lives is because as sinners we don’t have peace with God. And that problem is rooted in here, in my heart and yours. Jesus says that out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and blasphemies (Matthew 15:19). Isaiah says that your sins have hidden God’s face from you (Isaiah 59:2). If you find no joy, no comfort, no peace in Christmas – the problem isn’t with Christmas, the problem is with you. The real, root problem for the lack of peace in our lives and our world isn’t family or inflation or religion or politics – it’s the sinful heart that beats in my chest and yours that makes us fear and hate our God. And no gift, no card, no treaty, no law – and no, not even canceling Christmas this year – can fix that problem.

So instead of ignoring the problem or hiding in the basement until the lights and trees go away, we need to embrace the real message of Christmas. Hear again Paul’s words. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace…And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it. He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

At Christmas, we can’t overlook the real, deeply rooted problems of our sinful hearts and our broken relationship with God – but neither can we forget that that’s exactly why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The angels weren’t lying – Jesus came to bring peace. When the Son of God put on human flesh – he also took all of our selfishness and anger, all of our resentment and grudges, every sin, every hurtful word and loveless action on his shoulders. He carried that load from Bethlehem, through his ministry in Galilee and Judea, all the way to the cross – where he paid for every ounce of that sin with every ounce of his precious blood. By paying for the sins of the world – including yours and mine – he created peace by tearing down the wall of sin that separated us from God. And this Christmas, His gift to all who believe in Him is just that: peace for our minds and hearts – even if there is no peace out there – because he gives us peace that reconciles us to God!

Now, the more cynical among us might think “if that’s true, why, after 2000 years of Christmases, is our world as broken and filled with hate as ever? Where is this peace that Jesus promised to bring?” Here’s where we need to reorient our understanding of peace. Our minds tell us that there can only be peace when we have enough money. Our emotions tell us that peace means everyone being nice to each other (often, at the cost of ignoring sinful behaviors and lifestyles). Our government tells us that to get peace, every threat must be neutralized. Our media tells us that peace is Republicans and Democrats getting along. Charities argue that there can only be peace when no one is cold or hungry this Christmas. Activists say that there can only be peace when there is perfect equality among people of every age, race, gender, etc. Otherwise, they say, there can be no peace.

Paul wrote to people who were at each other’s throats just as much as our families, our coworkers, our politicians and our world often are. The Jews were God’s chosen people and made sure everyone knew it – they thought of the Gentiles as filthy dogs. The Gentiles weren’t obligated to keep the seemingly silly Jewish ritual laws and despised them as arrogant and self-righteous. This hostility even led to war and terror attacks just as bad as we’ve seen in our world in recent years – in 70 A.D. the gentile Roman destroyed Jerusalem and razed the temple to the ground. And yet, what does Paul write? Christ Jesus…made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them.

When you observe the issues that cause not just differences but hostility and division between people today – it quickly becomes clear that no amount of money, presents, charity or diplomacy can fix those problems. There’s only one thing – or rather, one person who can: Jesus. Only when broken, sinful hearts have been reconciled to God through Jesus can they truly be reconciled to one another. Only when I remember that God has forgiven my mountain of sin, can I forgive the sins of another. Only when I know that God has forgiven my imperfections for Jesus’ sake can I be patient and compassionate with the imperfections of others. For a world broken by unrest, terror, hatred and hostility – the solution is not to cancel Christmas, but to hold on even tighter to – and sing even louder – the good news the angels preached to those shepherds that night long ago: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind (Luke 2:14). It may seem too good to be true. It’s not. In Paul’s day, in spite of the previous hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles, they eventually stood side by side to worship their Jesus Christ as their Savior. During WWI, German and British soldiers declared a truce on Christmas in 1914 and sang Christmas carols and even played soccer together. [2] I didn’t watch a second of the FIFA World Cup this year, but I heard reports that some of the teams (namely, the team from Fiji) sang Christian hymns before and after their matches [3] – that’s a glimpse of the peace Jesus brings to this sin-broken world.

And I challenge you this Christmas season, to look for and take advantage of the gift of peace Jesus came to give to this world. Look around your Christmas gathering and see the friend or relative or coworker who has hurt you in the past – remember that forgiveness is Jesus’ gift to you and can be the most precious gift you could give to them. Look at these children, listen as they – instead of talking about a fat man in a red suit or a reindeer with a red nose or what they expect to find under the tree – are proclaiming with joy the good news that a Savior has been born to us – he is Christ the Lord. And, as you worship Jesus this Christmas, notice how people from all different backgrounds, all different ethnicities, all different political parties unite at the manger in Bethlehem to worship Jesus in peace and unity. This baby really is God in human flesh. This man really is the Savior of the world. He really is our peace! Should we skip Christmas this year? No. Because only this baby in the manger in Bethlehem can bring peace to our sin-broken hearts and peace to this sin-broken world. Glory to God in the highest! Merry Christmas! Amen.

[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3327115/Pope-says-Christmas-charade-atrocities-like-Paris-massacre.html

[2] https://www.history.com/news/christmas-truce-1914-world-war-i-soldier-accounts

[3] https://twitter.com/themiddleborne/status/1594354912036786177