The promise of peace seems unlikely not just when we look at the world around us. In preparation for Christmas, our list can seem unending. Our thoughts dart from one possible enhancement for our holiday celebration to another. Some feel the constraint of limited finances all the more keenly as our culture promotes extravagant gift-giving. Others are mindful that they will be alone on this holy day. Others dread the usual family gathering where bickering or strained silence accompany the feast. The promise of peace in the second week of Advent seems daring.
I have cherished memories of night time moments with my newborn babies. When my baby’s cry sounded in the middle of the night, I felt like no one else in the world was awake. Other townsfolk relaxed in deep sleep, their dreams mercifully guiding them away from wakeful reality. No matter how tired I was – and every mother knows the exhaustion of newborn parenting – those moments in the dark of night were precious encounters. Little eyes looked up at me, getting to know and trust me. I became acquainted with every part of their personality which emerged from the first weeks. Whatever the demand on my time and constraints in my personal life; whatever worries plagued me from other domains, those nocturnal encounters with my sweet child gave me peace.
I have beloved memories of Christmas Day with my parents and five siblings. Gifts were exchanged out of a mutual love. My husband and I tried to shape that same spirit for our own family celebration. Early in our parenting we assembled new toys late into the night on Christmas Eve. We learned after a couple years of last-minute preparation to work ahead of schedule so that Christmas Eve could be a time of peace. Several elements always prepared—and still prepare– my heart for Christmas joy. I adore the annual children’s pageant. Each child took their role seriously, whether they had the coveted roles of the Holy Parents or wore a cotton ball sheep costume. Their earnest acting underscored the stunning miracle of the nativity drama for those of us who had become overly comfortable with the sacred story. The Christmas Eve service, with familiar carols, candlelight, and contented faces of gathered families, prepared my heart for Jesus’ birth. Once home, the stockings were set out by the fireplace and our children slipped away into magical dreams. My husband and I sat in the light of the Christmas tree soaking in the scene. All our preparation was completed, whether or not we checked everything off our to-do list. No matter the fatigue or the concerns of our world, we felt peace from being where we knew we belonged. Peace is not the absence of struggle. It is finding the contentment and joy of blessed companionship in the midst of a storm.
I think of that first Christmas when God broke into our world as a crying child. Jesus’ world was marked by so much conflict. Mary and Joseph traveled in her last month of pregnancy to his hometown so that their tax-paying existence in the Roman Empire could be documented. Any of us who have ever had difficulty finding lodging when traveling with kids knows how scary that can be. There was no motel room for Mary and Joseph. As it became clear that she was about to deliver her child, imagine the frenzied search that led to finding a merciful innkeeper who offered an unlikely birthing room in his barn. By God’s extravagant grace, this young couple found safety and peace the night that ushered in eternity .
I imagine that very first encounter of the holy family. Their eyes brimmed with tears of joy. A profound sense of awe robbed them of their words. As with all newborn parents, the dark of night became hospitable space as they fell in love with their baby. The long arm of the Roman Empire could not reach them in small-town Bethlehem. Herod’s plot to halt Jesus’ reign before He could grow into it was thwarted. Worldly powers were mocked as God’s Incarnation was greeted by an unlikely gathering of shepherds and barn animals. Mary and Joseph’s financial strain was forgotten as they looked into their Son’s bright eyes. His perfect little body was precious fulfillment of the epiphanies that changed the course of their lives—and ours!
Advent peace seems a foolish promise in the face of all our problems. Thank God we know the Child who grew up to become the Light in our darkness and the Savior to our world.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Hallelujah!
Preaching Life 