When I was a young girl, each Christmas my grandmother would send us a sweet little ornament to hang on the tree. I still have many of those ornaments decorating my home. For a few years in a row, she selected ornaments with people from around the globe smiling or shaking hands, with a banner above that read “Peace on Earth”. I loved them. They depicted a world where everyone was happy and got along, and my immature perspective could only fathom peace this way.
This year has shattered the peace of many Americans. Everyone is discussing how weird it has been, how hard, how different. The accumulated press is bombarding us with the message that it is “Time To Heal”. The Biden promise is that he will usher in an era of peace. It’s what we all want? Peace? The peace to go to the store without being afraid of catching a deadly virus. The peace to vacation without being afraid of Antifa or BLM riots. The peace to be able to send our kids to school with their faces uncovered. It is almost as if Joe Biden is presenting himself as a savior; the one who comes to heal, the one who comes to bring peace on earth..
Is this really the kind of peace that the angels sing when they introduce Christ to the world. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14). Are they promising a world where everyone just happily gets in line so that we can all function normally, smiling and shaking hands? Are they predicting a peace that is a result of every person carefully choosing their words so as not to offend the emotionally confused? Not at all! They are promising peace “to those on whom his favor rests.” They are predicting peace to the ones who please God and walk according to His will.
Jesus says in Luke 12:51, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” He certainly did bring division. His crucifixion was only the beginning of many followers being persecuted, tortured, and killed. The peace that comes with the arrival of Christ is not the cheap peace that the Democratic government in America is promising. It isn’t a peace where every heinous act of sexulity is welcomed and cheered. It isn’t a peace where we accept the horrific murdering of infants just so everyone can get along. Christ actually says he has come to bring division. He brings division between those who follow Him and those who do not. In John 16:33 he says, “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.” He says we will have peace amidst the troubles of this world. He does not say that peace means the world will have no trouble.
The peace that is promised in the beginning Luke is the same peace that is promised in Phillipians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It is a peace that guards our hearts. This peace is not a warm fuzzy feeling that we get when we shake hands with someone from another continent, setting aside our cultural differences (as my childhood ornaments depicted). This peace is not equivalent to keeping opinions censored so we can all just get along. The peace of Christ is an impenetrable shield that comforts those who do not compromise God’s law.
Peace is the armour, the shield, the guard dog that protects the hearts of the people of God all over the world. Peace is the calmness of spirit in the midst of all the trouble. Peace is the gift of resting in the hands of the Almighty even while a battle rages.
As the gospel spreads across the world, and more are brought to Christ, I believe we will actually see this kind of peace throughout the whole world. I believe that at some point in history, the real peace that protects our hearts and minds in Christ will be felt by all mankind. But I do not wish to participate in the cheap peace that Joe Biden is offering me and every American. When I sing this Christmas about “Peace on Earth” I am hoping for something much more precious, much more real, and much more secure. I pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to guard each of us as we face and fight the troubles of this world.
Lindsey Tollefson is a homemaker in Moscow, Idaho.