Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Great words. But are they relevant words? Are they true words? Thats
not what the headlines suggest!
Six Red Cross Workers in Chechnya Murdered in Their Sleep. 300 Die
Per Day of AIDS in Uganda. College Sweethearts Leave Murdered Baby in
a Dumpster Giving to Charitable Organizations Running Way Behind
Avalanche Kills Three Skiers. 10 Year Old Philippine Boy
Accidentally Kills Mother with Fathers Gun. Father Jailed in Dallas
for Beating to Death his Three Year Old Son for Making Too Much Noise
During a Football Game.
Peace on earth? Pretty hard to believe after reading these genuine
headlines from last week isnt it!? How can we celebrate peace when
this is going on around us?
We sometimes forget that while the story of Jesus birth is sweet and
precious, it is also stark and real. Do you remember the headlines on
the day when Jesus entered the world?
- Taxes Displace Family Awaiting First Child
- Poor Family Takes Shelter in Barn
- No room in the Inn for Newest Bethlehem Citizen
- Superstitious Shepherds See Great LightReport Strange Sounds on Hillside
- King Hatches Paranoid Plot to Murder Unlikely Rival
- Family Flees Neighborhood to Protect Child
- Many Babies Senselessly Murdered by Rampaging Army
- Mother Marvels at the Future of Her Child While Experts Warn of Difficult Future
- Long Journey Ends in Gift Exchange
This is the way God chose to come to earth -- not as a conquering king,
but as one of us. Not in a royal procession isolated from human
struggle, but in a feed trough in the middle of it. God anchored
himself to the common, everyday things of our world so we could survive
it.
When you read or see the headlines this week, remember this:
Jesus came to insure our peace by taking part in our turbulent world.
The headlines of today are the headlines he lived long ago. More than a
sentimental journey, Christmas is a reminder that God loved us so much
that he would wear human skin and face human challenge so we could find
peace in him even when we cant find it here.
Peace on earth, goodwill to men! This is Gods blessing to his
troubled children. So dont just look for Gods grace in the twinkling
lights and the sweet smiles of happy children at Christmas. Hear the
bad news of the headlines and be reminded: Jesus has lived beneath
those same headlines so that we wouldnt always be bound to them.
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. Luke 1:78-79