A Peace Beyond Understanding

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Most of the visions we have of the Christmas season are filled to the brim with excitement. There are homes filled with family and friends during holiday parties. There is joyful music playing throughout our days. There’s a busyness in stores with customers frantically trying to find gifts for everyone on their list. There is absolute insanity at airports and on the roads as families travel home for the holidays.

It is easy to spot three of the four major Advent themes during this time - hope? Absolutely! There is so much hope and expectation throughout the holidays. Joy? Are you kidding? What’s more joyful than Christmas carols, lights and cookies? Love? 100%. Giving gifts, seeing family, passing down traditions - there’s love abounding.

But peace? Eh, maybe after the holidays die down and life returns to normal. Where does peace fit into packed schedules, mile-long to-do lists, and trying to get a family of four to an airplane gate in time?

Unless, of course, the peace that Advent boasts of isn’t the tranquil, quiet, freedom from disturbance we might conjure up in our mind.

As we saw last week, Advent hope is far greater than holiday expectations. It is deeply rooted in the unshakeable hope we have in a gracious God who rescued his children from the bonds of sin and shame by bringing his Son into the world. And as we’ll see in coming weeks, joy is not limited to circumstantial holiday cheer and love is bigger than the perfect gift or family reunions.

But peace may be the most misunderstood of them all. A quick google search shows that peace is generally thought of as “a state of tranquility or quiet,” “freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions” or even “harmony in personal relations”. We conjure up images of sandy beach vacations or a quiet home after young children go to bed for the night. We dream of large cups of coffee on a snowy day or a spotless home with a completed to-do list. Maybe we dream of drama-free relationships or restored family ties. Maybe we long for a time when the tension we see in the world will cease.

While all of those ideas are good, the peace that Scripture talks of, especially during Advent is something so much better.

Simply put, Advent peace refers to the peace believers have with God.

Think about that with me. You and I, wretched sinners that we are, have peace with a holy, perfect, righteous God. He created us, gave us life and we respond with total rebellion. Our sin carries with it a debt we could never repay. And yet, believers have peace with God. How can it be?

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2

This peace we have with God was born in a manger, resting in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life we could never live and died the death we all deserved. And because his sacrifice saved us from the sentence of our sin, we can rejoice in the peace he has brought to the world. Look at what Jesus has to say about this:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

The peace that we have with God through the work of Christ is not the type of peace that the world boasts of. The world offers peace that is entirely dependent on our circumstances - a solid savings account, the perfect getaway, a new self-care regiment. But the peace that Jesus offers remains despite our circumstances.

Because Jesus has granted us peace with God we can walk through the deepest valleys and harshest trials. Because we have peace with God we can take heart in our weaknesses and shortcomings. Because we have peace with God we can rejoice always.

This beautiful peace that can guard our hearts in the most anxious of situations was born in Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus Christ was the announcement that God had come to rescue his people. Broken and weary sinners can rejoice because our Savior, the Prince of Peace, has come. This is the peace that Advent proclaims.

I’m so excited to spend this week looking how this peace abounds in our day-to-day lives.

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16