Angels—The Messengers of Peace
Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-3, and 6 (CEB)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.
You have made the nation great;
you have increased its joy.
They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest,
A child is born to us, a son is given to us,
and authority will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Every generation hopes and yearns for peace.
A former German soldier once told a true story about his own experience of Christmas peace during World War I. After months in the trenches, the soldiers of that awful conflict were miserable with lice and dysentery.
It was Christmas Eve and very cold. Suddenly, without notice, the shooting stopped at nightfall, although there had been no formal ceasefire. On both sides, men rested. There were a few random instances of gunfire during the night, but mostly it was silent.
The next day, Christmas Day, the fighting resumed. But this German soldier noticed something extraordinary. At dawn, at the edge of the trench he found some chocolate bars and several packages of cigarettes. It was obvious that some lone British soldier evidently crossed over no man’s land and risked his life to deliver his Christmas offering to an enemy he’d never met.
Such things happen at Christmas. Christmas comes each year as a reminder that hope and peace are still possible. And peace is more than the absence of conflict–It is giving a cup of cold water in Christ’s name. It is welcoming the stranger to the community. It is inviting a colleague to church. It is at these moments believers serve as angels—as God’s messengers.
The Angels sing of peace. Peace is where heaven and earth meet–and the Kingdom of God is experienced.
You are an angel of Love, Joy, and Peace! When love fills your heart there is a joy that cannot be extinguished. Church, don’t let the world steal your joy! Let love guide you and let the joy and peace of Christ take it from there!
Let all the Angels Rejoice!