Sermon Index
Christmas Eve, 2013
The Christmas Angels sang, “Peace on earth and goodwill to men.” It is a beautiful blessing. At this time of year many people try to be kind and loving, and this song of the Angels is partially fulfilled. But for many people, peace and goodwill are not in their stocking or under the tree.
What is peace? What sort of peace do people desire and pray for? For different people, the peace they need in their lives is different. For people who live in a war zone or a place of violence, peace means there are no killings. For people who are persecuted and even killed for being Christian, peace means no more raids on their villages in the middle of the night. For people who are bullied, it means being felt alone. For poor people or for displaced people, it means food on the table and a place to live. For the lonely, it means friendship and love. For the sick, peace is health and strength. Etc., etc., etc.
Can Christmas peace bring peace to all of these people? Can our Christmas Eve worship and this sermon bring peace into your hearts and lives, and into the hearts and lives of those you love? That is our hope, that is our faith, and that is the promise of God. It is the declaration of God delivered by the Angels to the Shepherds and recorded in the Gospel for us. If God declares it, then he must bring it about.
But this world is not a Garden of Eden. Is peace just a hope for heaven, or is there hope for peace on earth? How can a little baby born in a stable bring peace to this earth? How can Jesus crucified on the cross bring peace to this world? To find that peace, we must first realize that peace is a gift from God. Peace is the work of God; it is an act of God. We people sometimes try to make peace, but we are the ones who break the peace into pieces in the first place, so true peace cannot be made by people. It must be done by God. And God brings peace in a very wonderful way.
People try to make peace through negotiation and legislation and diplomacy and counseling, and sometimes through constraint and even violence. God does not negotiate peace, he declares it. And he brings peace by the most peaceful way of all. First, Jesus is born a helpless Baby. Later, like a gentle lamb led to the sacrifice, he is crucified by violent men, but on the third day, all the violence and hate is overcome in his resurrection from the dead. Sin is forgiven. We are saved from our sin; we are saved from the consequences of our sin.
And so at Christmas it is God who brings peace on earth. He has declared goodwill to men. And we see that declaration fulfilled in the love and joy of many people this time of year. It starts with our prayers and songs. It continues with our contributions for the poor or for those suffering from natural disasters like typhoons and tornadoes because God has first helped us. Because God has forgiven us, our hearts are softened and we forgive others. Because God has not utterly condemned us, we have hope and patience with fellow sinners and troublemakers.
God is working now to bring peace and goodwill to this sinful world of strife and disease. Maybe it takes faith to see God working in this world. But it only takes common sense to know that peace is impossible without God. Only God can end all the troubles of this world and bring true peace. And so, Christ was born on this earth. In Christ God comes to us and is with us, Immanuel. Christ lived and died and rose again to bring forgiveness and relief and hope to us. And so Christmas is a promise and sign of God’s love and peace.
Amen.
May the Peace and Love of Christmas be in your hearts minds and now and forever. Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church