“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thess. 3:16)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

I suppose things lined up well on Sunday. I spoke on the subject of peace from our study in 1 Thessalonians and it just so happens that peace was also the Advent theme for Sunday!

So what can I add to what has already been said?

I suppose it’s the response I heard from so many people who found the message very timely. It would seem that peace, although central in message and theme,  is often not found during the Christmas season.

We celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace because humanity could finally find peace with God after so many years separated by our sin. But, as Paul tells us in Colossians, we still need to access that peace, or as Paul puts it, let the peace of Christ rule our hearts.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

This seems to imply we do at times let worry or stress rule in our hearts. This Christmas season ask God to re-prioritize your heart. We can’t always have a say in what happens around us or to us, but we can and do have a say in who or what rules our hearts.

Use this song to spur you on to peace this last week of the Advent season:
Peace Has Come by Hillsong Worship.

Have a great Christmas!

Your friend in the Gospel,
Matt