Peace on Earth?
- felixthepastor
- Dec 15, 2015
- 3 min read
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” ~ Luke 2:14
You know it’s bad when your to-do list haunts you in your dreams and you wake up feeling exhausted because you dreamt of emails begging for replies and the consequences of tasks left undone.
The holidays are a busy season for everyone.
How ironic that the season in which we reflect on the arrival of the Prince of Peace has become the most hectic season of the year. It’s as if we responded to the angel’s announcement by saying, “Peace on earth? Let’s celebrate by creating and engaging in as many activities as possible to the point of burn out!”
Are you catching a little cynicism? Maybe, but I will admit that cynicism is what I experienced a few days ago when I managed to stop long enough to read my Advent reflections for the day:
“God of Advent, walk ahead of me, helping me keep sight of your vision of peace. May I hold peace in my heart and pray for peace in our broken world. Amen.”
Reading on the subject of peace against a backdrop of busyness was such a sharp contrast that I was left agitated. How did busyness ever become associated with a season set aside to reflect on the arrival of peace on earth? It was this thought that led me to ponder, “Just what is peace?” My thought quickly turned into action and I was reintroduced to a word I was once so familiar with, “Shalom.”
An African American pastor I knew as a kid was well known for greeting people with the Jewish salutation of “shalom.” I became acquainted with the word because of him. The word means “peace” and can be used as a hello as well as a good-bye. The greeting expresses peace, well-being, and tranquility with one another as well as with God. Our English word for Shalom falls short of unpacking its meaning because the word is rooted in an understanding that peace is a state of wholeness and completeness that is only found in relationship with God.
My personal thoughts on peace had become tainted. But I’m not alone in my misconception. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah dealt with addressing this wrong understanding and application of peace in his day.
“They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.” ~ Jeremiah 6:14
The Thomas Nelson Study Bible weighs in with this commentary regarding the passage: "The peace expressed by the false prophets was absence of war or calamity, a concept far removed from the Old Testament shalom, which emphasizes wholeness or soundness. True peace involves complete fellowship with God and right relations with others. It has more to do with character and attitude than outward circumstances."
The fact of the matter is that peace is not external. It’s internal. The world could be spinning out of control, yet I can experience peace because it’s independent from peripheral circumstances.
Peace on earth? Yes! Peace invaded earth when God commissioned his Son to take on human form in order to remove the barrier that separated humanity from completeness with God.
It’s in this invitation to be in right standing with God that I can enjoy a wholeness in Him what makes peace a reality that I can’t be robbed of regardless of how hectic life gets around me. Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth!
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