The Lord grants peace within your borders. Psalm 147:14

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

Here we are on New Year’s Eve. For many, Christmas is over and it’s time to think of other things. Of course, we know that this is the seventh day of Christmas, the season that starts on Christmas day and goes through twelfth night and Epiphany. And then? The message of Christmas, where God actually comes and lives among us humans, continues on. This message is one of peace. Jesus was born in a time of ongoing conflicts among Romans, Israelites and other peoples. A weary world yearned for peace.

Peace is more than the absence of war. Spinoza wrote in the 17th century that it is a “virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.” The angels that appeared to the shepherd in Bethlehem spread the message – Glory to God and Peace on earth. The Psalmist praises God for granting peace to the people. And, of course, Jesus says that peacemakers shall be blessed as well as being called “children of God.”

As we enter this New Year, it is time to remember the message of Christmas. Peace be with us all.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.

(The Work of Christmas by Howard Thurman)

Prince of peace, call us to be your peacemakers. May the peace we share with this world reflect the peace you give to us each day. Amen.

Chris Gabel

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party