Peace on Earth

A devotion for our church for the last week of Advent. 

Peace on Earth

Luke 2:15-20

Paul Stroble 

When I visited Bethlehem years ago, I purchased a crèche, simply carved from olive wood. That was in early February; it finally arrived at my house in June. This was long before you could track your purchases on the internet. I’ve displayed it each year. In fact, during the last few years it’s been in my office year round. 

Of course, the crèche features the whole entourage, not only the holy family but the wise men, the shepherds, and one sheep. The Gospels do not depict them all together—the wise men appear in Matthew, and the shepherds in Luke—but we do tend to conflate the stories in our imaginations. I humorously imagine a wise man chatting with a shepherd, “How’s work?” “Same old same old. How was your trip from the East?” 

Our scripture is the familiar story of Luke’s gospel. The shepherds have been visited by the angels. The angels had told them about the birth of Jesus, and the heavenly armies sang, 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

   and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” 

I’d like to focus on that word “peace.” It has many layers. 

The Greek word Eirēnē is a New Testament word for peace. I learned that the Greek goddess named Eirēnē was sometimes depicted with a horn of plenty. Peace is a gift that provides fullness to one’s life! The word dovetails well with the Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, which means wholeness and harmony. God’s will for us is Shalom.

Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

I wish I could say I don’t worry—although I do pray throughout the day. But I can say that the “peace that surpasses (or transcends) understanding” is a very wonderful thing. It is not “peace of mind,” exactly. It is a deep, inner certainly, deeper than emotions. I perceive this peace even when I’m struggling with something, or when I’m dealing with depression. 

There are, of course, other meanings of peace. The United Methodist Church has a Peace with Justice Sunday each year, in May or June depending on the year. Why peace with justice? Because they go together! The biblical idea of peace includes the cessation of conflict but also the idea of wholeness and well-being. Our church has supported mission trips to Haiti for several years, for instance. This kind of peacemaking (and others) are also about justice—because it is unjust to let people live in impoverished conditions. In the world, social conflict (the absence of peace) often happens when people are denied justice. 

“Peace on earth” is probably so elusive because injustice and dire social circumstances are present everywhere. Each year at Christmas, we sing “peace on earth” and praise Jesus as the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6). But, war continues in our world because of unresolved conflicts of the past and failures of the present. Where armed conflict exists, justice and reconciliation have not been achieved. God’s Shalom for the whole world remains a wonderful, future reality. 

The adult Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). This peace comes from the Holy Spirit, comforting and directing those who live in the power of God’s kingdom.  

I doubt that the shepherds did theological reflection on “peace” when they hurried to Bethlehem. But they did tell everyone what had happened! “When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:18). May we, too, hurry and tell others!   Amen.