He Shall Be Called PRINCE of PEACE

 “He Will Be Called… Prince of Peace”

 Message @ Jericho Ridge Community Church – Saturday, Dec 24, 2016

Text: Isaiah 9:6-7 // Series: He Will Be Called…

On Christmas Eve 1914… 102 years ago our story unfolds.  That night, both the British and the German troops on Europe’s western front were dug deep into their trenches.  The winter mud and rain were miserable and cold as was their business for being there.  World War 1 was just five months old but already hope was fading that peace would come.  Small trinkets like chocolate and new soccer balls were delivered and cherished but they brought with them a reminder to these men that they were far, far away from warm hearths and safe homes.  How in the world do you have a little bit of Christmas in the middle of a war zone? 

The diaries and letters home from both sides speak of a strange quiet that fell over the battlefront that night.  By 8:30 PM the noises of war were at a standstill and a hallowed and holy kind of peace descended.  And then something remarkable happened that no one expected or could have predicted. Take a look at this VIDEO. (3 min) 

What a remarkable event!  A peace that comes in small measure by small gestures to a place and to a people where it seems that it does not and could not belong.  And yet it comes. 

In that way, this account of peace in the middle of World War I that Christmas day is not unlike the account of the very, very first Christmas.  Where peace came into our world in a way that was quite unexpected and not widely understood or embraced, even to this day.  And yet it comes.      

In the Bible, the Old Testament book of Isaiah speaks of the coming of one who will bring peace, there was then as now, centuries of longing and hoping and waiting… Isaiah 9:6 proclaims 

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

And yet the first Christmas is anything but peaceful.  Think of the perilous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem that Joseph undertakes with Mary being almost ready to give birth.  There’s the shame and scorn of a devout religious community that Mary and her extended family must deal with because she claims that an angel has told here that the baby that will be born to her will be the long awaited Messiah, the Saviour. 

And the circumstances of the birth – of any birth really - are anything but peaceful.  That notion of that carol Away In a Manger where it say “the little lord Jesus no crying he makes” – ridiculous nonsense!  This birth occurs in a barn! There’s no way that baby was not screaming about itchy hay or swaddling clothes or any very normal thing newborns scream about.  The night was not silent, I can promise you that!

Yet amidst all of the chaos and noise and the shame and the displacement and personal discomfort and the loneliness of being far away from family, the Christmas story is still at its heart a story of PEACE.  And that is because Jesus, who arrived in our world fully God & fully human that night, is described as the Prince of Peace.  The One who will bring us peace. 

That’s one thing that I think makes Christmas a unique and special time of year.  On a night like this, there’s a stillness and a peace that does strange things like cause people to lay down their weapons and share moments of genuine human connection with each other. Because we are all searching for some kind of peace.  The challenge, however, is that even times of relative calm like tonight, peace has an elusive quality to it.  I mean, let’s be honest with each other…  Many of us have been rushing about for weeks leading up to today, baking, shopping, working extra hours… Still to come is the challenge of confronting those “some assembly required” toys and trying to wrestle things out of over-packed hype and rescue ourselves & others from pains of disappointment when the exact request isn’t fulfilled. 

We watch the news and are reminded daily that we live in a world riddled by conflict and strife.  Millions upon millions of people displaced from a 5&1/2 year conflict going on in the nation of Syria.  Some of them like the Barsominams are now right here to our own little community.  Fires still tear through apartment complexes in our city and good people lose most everything they own.  People still choose to drive trucks into crowded Christmas markets in Berlin as a statement of political and ideological extremism.  Whether the chaos in our personal lives or trouble at school or tensions at work or trouble at home, or unrest globally or challenges financially all seem designed to pull us away from peace. 

I wonder if part of our challenge comes in how we describe and define peace.  If we see peace as the absence of conflict and challenges, then we are unlikely to have peace.  Because all of us will experience some kind of hardship and trouble.  Jesus himself actually promised this in John 16:33 that “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But [He says]… I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.”   

Bishop N.T. Wright in his book How God Became King, say it this way “It isn’t that things have not been as bad as we’d though. In fact, they’ve been worse… The story was stalled, stagnant, running out of hope.  It required a fresh act of divine mercy to do what was needed” (72). 

You see just like those soldiers on the battlefront, there is a longing in the human heart to experience peace. The question gnaws at us in our quieter moments… how do I find peace in a world like ours?  Not only a peace for this life, but also the life to come.  Peace not only with those around us but a sense of peace for our world and peace with God? 

But it is precisely because of the state of the world and the state of our own lives that we need to visit again the manger and to hear the promise of peace that was pointed out not just to shepherds, but also to you & me

Jesus’ made another promise to us that is articulated in John 14:27…

“I am leaving you with a gift— peace of mind and heart.                          

And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

So don’t be troubled or afraid..” - John 14:27 (NLT)

It is here that we come to learn that peace isn’t found so much in a place or a night or a feeling, as it is found in a person.  Peace isn’t the product of circumstances, it’s the presence of a relationship with the Prince of Peace who has the most wonderful gift to give to each one of us.  This gift is God Himself, born that night long ago in Bethlehem to guide not only our world but also our lives into the paths of peace.    

So what does it look like for us to choose peace?  We need to begin by acknowledging that allowing our footsteps to be guided along the pathway of peace is not easy.  On the battle field on that Christmas Eve of 1914, it took one soldier being willing to take the risk to raise his hands, and to climb up out of that hole.  Then another willing to do the same.  Consorting with the enemy was treasonous and grounds for court marshal and the peace that broke out on the battlefield that night was not continuous or consistent.  Some soldiers still chose to pick up their weapons and fight.  And yet in certain places there were small moments of human charity, of peace extended to others that were reciprocated.  Choosing peace can be risky but are we willing to take the first step & try?  We can choose to embrace peace by not choosing not to speak that harsh word when our brother or sister wrongs us.  By giving generously of our finances or our time to organizations who stand against oppression and violence.  Simple acts of kindness and love like doing the dishes when it’s not our turn or standing up to those who bully or belittle others. 

When we do these things, we become partners with God in His desire for peace on earth and good will to all.  It’s not always perfect, but it’s a step onto the path of peace, which is always a step in the right direction. 

The final way we can choose peace is to recognize that we may not be dug in and sharing the same misery as those soldiers on the western front. But we each have our own battles raging.  Some of us live with deep fear and uncertainty.  What comes next for me in 2017?  There are unknowns and situations beyond our control – is my job stable? Will my house sell?  What if my health fails?  Choosing the path of peace means trusting God in the midst of uncertainty.     

So here’s what we need to do.  Each of us.  We need to make the riskly choice to climb up out of our bunker; raise our hands in the air and choose to embrace peace.  Yes, it’s risky.  But this is what the shehpehrds chose to do that first Christmas Eve.  To take the risk that what the angels said may just be true.  That the prince of peace had come to their world.  To their town.  In the most humble and surprising of ways.  But they still had to choose to accept that and to act on it. 

The same thing is true for you and I tonight.  We have to choose to to climb out our ouc littloe or big trenches, hands raised… Not as a gesture of hopeless resignation, but rather as a gesture of confident surrender.  You see, Jesus is clear that while he came to bring us peace, the peace He gives is not merely the absence of conflict for a short period of time.  This peace is a deep and lasting peace.  A respite in the midst of a storm.  Though the battle may rage all around, peace can be found in Him.   

Perhaps tonight you have never experienced that peace, the peace that comes from knowing Jesus in a person and vital way.  Jesus came to set you free from fear.  He came to bring light and life to you.  If you want to receive that, you can pray simply with me as Megan and the team come. 

PRAYER

The ushers are also coming… Megan and team will sing, prayer response.   

Benediction: From Romans 15

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit… And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.  Thanks for being with us.  We look forward to seeing you Sunday, Jan 1 at 10 AM at Mountainview Alliance for Willoughby Worships and then back again on Sunday, Jan 8 at 10:30 AM for a new series on learning to pray.  Merry Christmas!