December 16, 2002  

THE PRINCE OF PEACE

Among the Scripture passages that help us to focus on the true meaning of Christmas is the great proclamation of Isaiah, who wrote hundreds of years before Jesus' actual birth:
"Unto us a child is born, a son is given; and the government will rest on his shoulders. He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6)

Prince of Peace—what a wonderful title. And yet, it seems ironic in a time when terrorists dominate our thoughts, when Palestinians and Israelis exchange mortal attacks, when our own country is constantly talking of going to war. "Saber rattling" was scarey enough, but today's adversaries threaten each other with nuclear weapons, lethal chemicals, and insidious, underground viral agents.

Yet, this Christmas we reaffirm our allegiance to the Prince of Peace. He is our only hope for a true and lasting peace. However, as Isaiah goes on the say, the ultimate laying down of arms will come only when he rules without challenge:
"His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice." (Isaiah 9:7)

When Jesus walked on this earth, he knew that day had not yet come. Until then, he said, there will be "wars and rumors of wars" (Matthew 23:6). Human history over the past 2000 years has proven him right. We still live in the time of "wars and rumors of wars."

Yet, each of us who has met and believed in the Prince of Peace has been transformed into an agent of his future Kingdom. We are called upon to be committed to peace-making. As those who bear his name, we should bring peace into every relationship we have, into the community we live in, even into the way our participation as citizens affects world events.

Unfortunately, we ourselves don't always submit to his authority. It is for this reason that turmoil and vengeance sometimes dominate our thoughts and feelings. Not being peaceful within, we project our inner conflicts onto others, even the ones we love the most. And we find ourselves identifying with ideologies and causes around us that engender strife and that advocate winners at the expense of losers. So we sometimes act as double-agents, undermining the efforts of the Prince of Peace we claim to worship as Lord.

This Christmas, let us all rededicate ourselves to bring as much peace as possible into a world of strife. And let us begin by cultivating that inner peace which can calm our own feverish spirits. This comes only through quiet meditation on who Jesus is and what he came into the world to do.

–Pastor George Van Alstine