Advent Peace: O Holy Night

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

We have heard Jesus called our “Prince of Peace,” but what does that reality look like in our lives and in this Advent season?

Peace Within Us

First, Christ has said that He Himself will be our source of peace. We are invited to bring Him our burdens in exchange for rest. We are told that if we bring our anxieties before God in trust and submission, His peace will guard us in Christ. We are promised that, because Jesus has overcome the world and all its troubles; we can be at peace regardless of our circumstances.

As we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ, we remember that first arrival of peace in our own hearts. We take solace in the knowledge that, in Jesus, God has kept His promises to us and will continue to do so for ages to come.

Peace With God

The arrival of the Christ-child also signals the beginning of Jesus’ path to the cross. His birth was the first step toward His death, which would ultimately achieve for us peace with God.

No longer are we far off, enemies of our Maker, condemned by the Law and striving for position before a Holy God. In Christ, we are brought near by His shed blood. We have unity with God through the righteousness of His Son granted to us. We are free from the debt that would stir up fear and strife; we have our debt paid in full and are living in view of Jesus’ perfection.

So, not only do we look, with great joy, to the first coming of Christ which accomplished this peace for us, but we also look with great hope to Christ’s second coming, when our peace with God will bloom into its fullest, most perfect state. We will always be with the Lord - communing with Him in heaven as His own, eternally at peace together.

Peace Among Us

Finally, as we are granted personal and eternal peace, we are also called to pursue peace with others. Christ has initiated it with us, and our responsibility as disciples is to follow in His footsteps.

People of God are peacemakers - those who strive to preserve unity regardless of differences and difficulties. This does not mean surrender of belief; Jesus was the last to shy away from harsh realities. It does mean presenting truth marked by love; it does mean caring and fighting for the oppressed; it does mean living under the reality that every person is made in God’s image and, therefore, ought to be treated accordingly.

His Law is love and His Gospel is peace.

Advent peace looks to Christ who is our peace, has purchased our peace, and has taught us peace. It looks to Jesus’ birth and His return as a reminder of how we once received peace, how we will ultimately dwell in peace, and how we ought to live at peace in the meantime.

Consider these questions today:

1. In what ways have you experienced the tangible peace of Christ in the midst of chaos or difficulty?
2. What does it mean to you to have peace with God today? Do you believe it is truly yours and are you living in the freedom it brings?
3. Who is someone with whom you can pursue peace this Advent season (through reconciliation, kindness, advocacy, etc.)?