This means war - peace

It’s Christmas. The season of peace and goodwill to all men. We enter this season with good intentions, but then we fight for a parking spot at the shops and all of a sudden peace goes out the window. Someone says something unintentionally offensive at a family gathering and there goes ‘goodwill to all men’.

Isn’t it funny that Peace can be a rare commodity in the same season that we celebrate the Prince of Peace? That’s exactly why Peace is an attention-grabbing way to share Jesus at Christmas.

What does ‘peace on earth’ look like, and what does Jesus say about it?

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” – Matthew 5:9.

Jesus said this as part of his famed Sermon on the Mount — undoubtedly one of His biggest statements — and it’s worth unpacking...

Firstly, he doesn’t say we should be peaceKEEPERs, he says we will be blessed if we are peaceMAKERs. ‘Maker’ is an active word and implies action, creation, and intention. It literally describes someone who produces something. We are to be people who create peace. This means, in that sensitive family scenario, rather than reacting in the moment, it’s worth coming up with a game plan to help create peace.

This verse is bookended by two promises: that we will be blessed and that we will be called Children of God. When we go about our lives ‘making’ peace, people will notice. Our actions will set us apart from the ordinary. When we make peace, we are actually bringing glimpses of heaven to earth. Peace on earth and goodwill to men starts with us, our friends, and our families. As we get active about creating peace out of conflict, Jesus will come alive in us and our relationships.

The world has enough conflict and ‘bad-will’. Make the most of Christmas by living a life that creates peace and puts Jesus on display.

BIBLE VERSES

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Luke 1:78-79 – “...because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”