Advent-ure Day 18: Peace on Earth

We have been shown in the Scriptures the path to peace, and we are called to walk in the love of God, that brings peace between people. Hebrews 12 states:
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled...

Bitterness can lead to broken relationships, but Jesus can to heal the brokenhearted - He is the One who has come to repair what has been fractured.  If we allow bitterness to fester, it can work its way through the heart and soul of a person and cause great harm to not only the person possessing it, but the people around him or her.  We are called to walk in forgiveness, in a spirit of restored relationships, so that Christ's love may be seen and activated.

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It's Day 18 of our 25-day Advent Guide at Faith Radio, entitled, 25: A Christmas Advent-ure: Sing Unto the Lord!  Each day has a corresponding Christmas song, Scripture, and line from the song.  Today, we reflect on a carol which includes this operative line: "Peace on the earth, good will to men; From heaven's all gracious King!"

That is from the Christmas carol, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.  A corresponding Scripture is found in Zechariah 9:9:
9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

This points to Jesus riding into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday on a donkey, not as a militaristic, conquering King, but as a mighty, compassionate King - mighty to save, but not through brute force, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

That is what we need today: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear reminds us how true peace on earth comes: through the presence of the Prince of Peace.

There is some terrifying imagery that occurred in France recently.  Someone with intent to kill entering a market in Strasbourg, into a Christmas market full of shoppers.  The BBC reported:

At about 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT), a man opened fire close to the famed Christmas market near place Kléber, which attracts thousands of visitors.

France's anti-terror prosecutor, Rémy Heitz, said the man had shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") as he opened fire.

The suspect was armed with a gun and a knife and escaped the area after jumping into a taxi, Mr Heitz said.

And, the alleged shooter was later shot and killed by police after an extensive search.  The BBC reported that, "Hundreds of French police and security forces had been searching" for the attacker."  The article states:

"French police have shot dead the man who attacked Strasbourg's Christmas market on Tuesday, the interior minister has said.

A police unit came across Cherif Chekatt in a Strasbourg street and shot him after he opened fire.

Three people have died following the shooting at the market and several more were seriously injured.

Chekatt, 29, had a string of criminal convictions in France and Germany and had become a radical Islamist in jail.

 Evangelist Franklin Graham had strong words about the attack. Breitbart reported that:

...Graham reacted strongly to a recent Islamic terror attack in Strasbourg, France, warning that radical Islam continues to be a major global threat.

In a two-part tweet Saturday, Rev. Graham, the son of the prominent Christian leader Billy Graham, reminded citizens that Islamic extremism has not ceased to be a menace to the world and that, contrary to popular opinion, the Muslim idea of God is very different from the God worshiped by Christians.

His tweets said:

Radical Islam continues to be a huge threat around the world. I thank God for the hard work of the French police & law enforcement who tracked down terrorist Cherif Chekatt. Remember the families of those whose lives were taken and the many wounded.

Also, he tweeted out:

Contrary to what some may say, the god of Islam & the God of the Christian faith are not the same. The God of the Christian faith is Creator of the Universe & sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to save us from our sin. He can change every heart who will put their faith in Him.

The Breitbart article also quoted from other past statements from Franklin Graham, including: “It’s a religion that calls on its soldiers to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is Great’ in Arabic) as they behead, rape, and murder in the name of Islam,” and, “Radical Islamists are following the teachings of the Quran. We should call it what it is..."

We talk about and hear about the concept of "peace on earth" during this season; it proceeds from the pronouncement of the angels in Luke 2; we recognize Jesus as the Prince of Peace.  And, we can see how radical Islamic terror is a serious threat to peace on this earth.  Not only does it threaten the nation of Israel, but we see the spread of this mentality and activity across the globe.  It is important that our leaders recognize the threat, and we can pray for them to take responsible action for our national security.

We can also think about the gospel as possessing hope for the most hardened terrorist, and a message of hope through a loving God for those who follow Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and even those who have no religion or who are unsure.

Let's consider the concept of peace in our own lives.  We should pursue a path that leads to peace.  Jesus said that "blessed are the peacemakers," and Paul encourages us to seek peace with all people. Because we have peace with God, we can reach out with His love and to be people of peace.  And, we are reminded that we can look to the Prince of Peace to help solve issues between people of good will.

We also know that we live in troubled times, and Jesus taught that wars and rumors of wars are signs of the end times.  We know that we serve a Savior who ultimately will make all things right, but the earth will have to endure tribulation, prior to the millennial kingdom and the new heaven and the new earth.  Our temporary struggles can remind us of the bright future promised to the child of God.