Peace to You this Christmas Season
The word “Peace” sure gets used an awful lot this time a year. It appears on Christmas cards. It shows up on all sorts of decorations…from Christmas ornaments to window displays. It is a politically correct safe word. After all, who could possibly become offended when the word “peace” is used in a sentence? We all want the world to live in peace…don’t we?
Yet, in order for there to be such a thing as world peace…there has to be an inner peace.
In John 14:27, Jesus says the following to His Disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
My favorite all-time hymn is, Let There Be Peace on Earth. It was co-written in 1957, by Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller. It starts…
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
What is really interesting is, after an unsuccessful marriage and acting career; Jill Jackson Miller had attempted suicide earlier in her life. After marrying Sy Miller, she had a spiritual awakening and was able to write the lyrics. How ironic is it that this classic song of hope was born from the ashes of despair?
Years later, Jill Jackson Miller wrote the following, “And when I attempted suicide and I didn't succeed, I knew for the first time unconditional love--which God is. God is unconditional love. You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you are. In that moment I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me which is very difficult to explain. I had an eternal moment of truth, in which I knew I was loved, and knew I was here for a purpose”
Before you can pass along peace, you must first be filled with Christ’s Peace. The peace of Christ is like the lighting of the ceremonial candles in church. From one central candle, symbolizing the light of Christ, one flame becomes many. The key to the entire process is that every flame is pure because it came from the central pure light of Christ.
The hymn continues…
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.
If you go back to the passage from John, you will note that Jesus doesn’t offer up some sort of “generic” peace. No, He specifically says, “my peace I give to you.” Jesus is willing to give to us the exact same peace He has. Keep in mind that when Jesus said this to His Disciples, He knew He was about to suffer a horrible death on the cross…yet He was still able to have peace in His heart. Jesus further states, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
This Christmas season, before we pass along our blessings of peace to others…let’s take stock of the peace within our own hearts. Let’s make sure that our hearts are filled with the joy and goodness that only can be placed there by God.
Let us vow to pass along, not a peace from this world, but an inner peace placed in our hearts by God. May each person we encounter this Christmas season also find God’s peace too.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
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