Saturday, December 19, 2015
Christmas will be different this year because the worldwide level of anxiety is unsettling.
Nightly news with horrific pictures of beheadings by an insidious enemy, bundled with ominous trends and circumstances erase any doubt that all is not well.
Sensible people are concerned about all this. But none of it need overly distress us.
From childhood, most Americans have heard Jesus is the “prince of peace” as the Prophet Isaiah predicted nearly six centuries before His birth. His birth was celebrated by an angelic choir singing of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14).
Within Jesus’ life mission are assurances and provisions of peace that can equip us to handle successfully all the uncertainty life throws at us.
He said, “... my peace I give unto you. ... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). We can’t avoid trouble. But it doesn’t have to control us. History illustrates that providence has smiled upon our nation. As Christians, we can be at peace in the “midst of the storm.”
A reading of the Bible reveals two kinds of peace: peace WITH God and the peace OF God. A lot hangs on the prepositions with and on: and it helps to know the difference.
In his letter to the Romans (5:1), the Apostle Paul wrote: “We have peace WITH God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” a recognition that God and man had not been on “speaking terms,” but now, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, restoration of peace and connection WITH God was made possible.
This is fundamental for personal peace. But, it’s not the complete story.
In his letter to the Philippians (4:7), the Apostle Paul advances the provision of peace. “The peace OF God ...,” he writes, “shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
He declares God has something he wants to share with us. That “substance” must be what our Lord referred to when he said, “my peace I give unto you.”
The reality is: The peace OF God has substance that can settle anxiety, give perspective and hold one steady when life gets rough.
It comes as we embrace his advice to rejoice, be moderate, engage in prayer and thanksgiving. (Philippians 4:4-6)
The peace OF God is what you experience as you move beyond establishing your peace WITH God (when you accept Christ as your personal Savior), to trusting him to put into you the peace OF God.
In confusing circumstances the peace OF God will “keep” your heart and mind. Paul uses a term here that literally means to “garrison” (protectively encircle) your mind.
Peace WITH and OF God are like two sides of a coin. Peace WITH God is legal and deals with morality. The peace OF God is experiential. The former is something God does FOR us; the latter is something God does IN us.
Both are essential for a life of true and lasting peace.
In the Roman Catholic Church, there is the practice of exchanging the sign of peace.
Our Jewish friends greet each other with shalom.
The greetings remind us that God is, himself, our peace; and the practice based on the instruction of Jesus helps sharpen that reality in our hearts.
Three peace generators are certain – nothing is a surprise to God; Our Lord, ultimately, is still in control and; his track record is impeccable.
Paul’s rationale for expecting a peace-filled life is clear. His logic is simple: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).
Paul reasons our Lord already did the “greater” while we were “enemies.” No reason for him not to do the “lesser,” now that we’re friends.
Our Lord never promised anyone immunity to trouble in this world. He said, “... in the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33).
The words for the world this Christmas, as always, is: “Celebrate the Prince of Peace.”
Verbalize it. Be at peace! Peace! Shalom! It’s a “peace initiative” that can’t fail.
The Rev. Guy BonGiovanni is an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God,President of Life Enrichment Ministries Inc., a published writer and retired general overseer of the Christian Church of North America.