Paying Attention to the Message of Peace

Paying Attention to the Message of Peace

Peace - Week Two - Friday

“And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:10-14

Shepherds in the field were not usually the first to find out the latest news. They spent their time with sheep that have a reputation of not being terribly intellectual and with other shepherds who spent their time out in the fields and the countryside, not in the towns and cities. No one dropped by with a Sunday paper. They didn’t get CNN. They could not bring up the internet. Nope, not even a text. They spent much of their life pretty much cut off from the rest of the world. They were an unlikely bunch to hear the news of Christ’s birth first…or news of any kind first, for that matter. So on this night when the city is bustling with so much activity that there is not even one single room to house another visitor, they are out in the fields under the stars. I can’t help but wonder if one of them, who were so familiar with the stars that shone above them, might have noticed that one star shone a little brighter…looked a little less familiar…seemed a little different than the others. Was it possible that wasn’t there before? On this night of restless activity in Bethlehem these shepherds are sitting under a starry sky and being still. And then the sky lights up like the noonday sun, blinding the shepherds under its intensity. Shielding their eyes, they try to see what it might be that had invaded their quiet night. I cannot begin to imagine the fear they must have felt. But the angel comes to them and says, “Look, you have absolutely nothing to be afraid of, as a matter of fact you are not going to believe the news I have. It is the greatest news you can imagine for unto you is born this day, right up the road in Bethlehem, the Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Then the angel proceeds to tell them how to find this baby, after which he is joined by a huge choir of angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” Then the angels are gone…simply gone, perhaps leaving the shepherds to wonder if they would make the cover of the Bethlehem Enquirer if they shared with folks what had just transpired. Nonetheless it took them about a split second to decide to ditch the sheep and head to Bethlehem. It took them just a second because they knew Who had made it known to them….”Let us go see this thing that the Lord has made known to us”.

I don’t know if the angels came to the shepherds because they were quiet and still and prepared to listen or perhaps God simply wanted the common man to know that His Son had arrived among them, the Lamb that would pay for our sins. We cannot know why God chose a group of lowly shepherds to share the biggest news in the world but we can know that they were given an opportunity to find peace and they dropped everything and headed for the stable where they were told they could find it.

And so I sit amongst piles of ribbons and rolls of wrapping paper with a to do list a mile long. I haven't noticed the stars in days and stillness is something I simply long for...not experience regularly. And yet, at this time of year especially, God wants me to receive the very same message. He wants me to understand that His Son has arrived and all this is about Him. He wants me to quiet my heart and feel the awe of it. God's own Son dwelling right here...in my heart, bringing me peace.

What about you this Christmas? Do you have peace with God? Jesus came to be that peace (Micah 5:5). It is free and it is for you. Why not find true Peace this Christmas?

Discussion Question

What does it mean to say that Jesus is Peace? How is He the peace between God and man? What do you have to do to have the Peace in your life?

Family Activity

Together create a Bethlehem Gazette or a newscast in which you pretend you are the ones telling of the events in Luke chapter 2. You may want to dress up and pose for pictures that depict the parts of the story. You can work together and draw pictures. If you are technically adept you might make it all on the computer. Then you can send it out to family members and friends who will enjoy the fun but also hear the message of Christmas.

A Heart of Rest and Peace

Peace - Week 2 - Wednesday

"David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' "Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged… He said to them, "Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? … Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God…

I Chronicles 22:5-19

In this passage of Scripture, David tells of his desire to build a beautiful and magnificent sanctuary for God. He has all the supplies needed to do it. He has craftsmen from throughout the known world at that time. It says he has more trees than he can count. He has a plan. He is ready to build. So why did his son build the Temple instead of him? He was missing one key ingredient. God told him to wait. God told him that his life had been about turmoil and war and destruction. God told him that He needed a man of peace and of rest to focus on this job of building the Temple. And while David was a man after God’s own heart, the disruption around him kept him from building this sanctuary before God… this Temple that would be worthy of housing the Ark of the Covenant which represented God’s presence housed within it. Several times in this passage, God’s Word reiterates that Solomon would build it because he was a man of peace and rest and that God would grant the nation rest during this critical time.

The Scripture clearly tells us that we as Christians are the Temple of God. We are to prepare our hearts and lives with the same type of attention as one would in building a Temple to God. But this requires periods of rest and peace. It requires seasons when we shut out the world and quiet the busyness around us and even our own hearts to focus on building our lives on Him. For us, nothing may seem more difficult. Everything we are doing feels very important. Everything David was doing was very important, too (Well, except for that whole Bathsheba thing) but it meant he lacked the focus to do this important task of building. In this season of celebration of the birth of Christ, set aside time to have rest and peace….to focus solely on building your personal relationship with God and that of your family’s. Make time to worship Him privately and corporately. Enjoy periods of resting in Him and building your relationship with Him. Enjoy times with your family away from the technology you think you can’t live without…and rest.

In the book The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan, the author says this about taking time for true rest and quiet:

"Indeed, this is the essence of a Sabbath heart; paying attention. It is being fully present, wholly awake, in each moment. It is the trained ability to inhabit our own existence without remainder, so that even the simplest things... the in and out of our own breathing, the coolness of tile on our bare feet, the way the wind sculpts clouds into crocodiles and polar bears...gain the force of discovery and revelation. True attentiveness burns away the layers of indifference and ennui and distraction...all those attitudes that blend out days into a monochrome of sameness and reveals what is hidden beneath , the staggering surprise in infinite variety of every last little thing. "

Take time this year to notice and thank God for the delights He sends to our senses. Notice the way the lights twinkle on the tree, how different arrangements of the same Christmas carol touch us in a different way, the smell of cinnamon and spices, the hugs and kisses, and so much more. Live in the awareness that this is the everyday beauty God has given you to enjoy…..don’t miss one bit of it!

Discussion Questions

Take turns naming at least one way you enjoy this season for each of your senses. I love smelling this….I love tasting this….I love hearing this…I love seeing this…I love feeling this.

Family activity

Choose one night to shut out the noise. Turn off televisions and computers and phones. Shut off the video games. Listen to Christmas music while you do something together as a family. Make popcorn and cranberry garland to hang on your outside trees. Make Christmas gifts together. Play a game. Enjoy just growing together as a family. To finish off the night, have a devotional time together. Pray together. Grow in Christ together. I am thinking this may just turn out to be something you want to do again and again.