Thursday, December 22, 2016

In A Word: Peace






Can you believe it is Christmas already? I myself have barely moved on from Halloween and Thanksgiving, yet here comes one of the holiest, important, and significant days of the Christian year. I love the season of Advent, but it hardly seems like it lasted for 4 weeks this year. I have been so used to the "feel" of this season, its patient waiting and quiet contemplation, that Christmas has snuck up on me this year.

In Luke 2, we here of this magnificent story of Jesus' birth. One of my favorite parts of the story is how the birth of Jesus was first told to the shepherd's in the field. The angels told them in the middle of the night that their Savior was born, and so they went on their way to Bethlehem to this "thing that had taken place." Jesus' birth was not first told to Emperor Augustus or anyone in power, but the lowly, poor, outcast, smelly, and dirty shepherds. That is good news. We can relate with the shepherds far more than an emperor or high official! 

We come to this time of celebration of Christ's birth with many mixed emotions and feelings. For weeks and weeks, TV commercials and programs have told us how to feel. We ought to feel warm and loving, especially if we are afforded the opportunity to spend a small fortune on our loved ones. I do hope that you do feel great peace and joy in your life, but honestly, I don't expect that everyone does. Even as a pastor, I don't always feel warm and loving during this time. Some come to this holy day dealing with awful health diagnoses, death of a loved one, financial problems, or struggling tensions in their relationships. Indeed, we still need a Savior to be born into our lives once again.

And God does it again. Each year, we are reminded by this day that God delivers us a Savior. Not some king with jewels and robes, but a baby boy, born to give us peace and restore our brokenness. Jesus was to be real King of Peace. The detail at the beginning of Luke 2, that this took place during the reign of Caesar Augusts, is significant. Caesar was praised as the great king of peace, as the one that would bring an end to war. Of course, he was not. Many wars were fought during his rule. 

But the Gospel announces the arrival of the real King of Peace, even if we come to this night with some pain in our hearts. In verse 14, the angels pronounce a blessing on those whom the peace of this new King will rest. This idea is repeated in this passage, and also later in the gospel in Luke 19, when a similar acclamation of peace is announced when Jesus enters Jerusalem ("Palm Sunday"). 

There is a literary device called inclusio, the repetition of an idea or phrase, that is used throughout the gospel of Luke. This idea of Jesus bringing peace utilizes this device. The great humorist Mark Twain was fond of pointing out that he was born when Halley's Comet appeared in 1835, and predicted that he would die when this same comet returned on its 76-year cycle. True to his promise, Twain died the day after the comet reappeared in 1910. Readers often allude to this celestial inclusio as a testament to Twain's special place within the literary community. Luke's artful use of his inclusio helps the reader, the believer, focus on the central message of this night; that Jesus is the true King who brings us peace. With all that Christmas brings, Luke wants to remind us that the King of peace is here.

Prayer:

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

-- Robert Louis Stevenson

In Christ, 

Jack

No comments:

Post a Comment