ZPCBlog

About the author: Christopher Christmas is a husband, father, stepfather, professor, and mental health counselor who loves spending time in the beauty of God’s creation. He also loves being with family and friends, sharing stories and making memories. He enjoys good books, fresh coffee, and roaring fires. He and his wife, Amanda, have been members of ZPC since fall of 2022, and Amanda currently serves as a deacon. Christopher has also been active with the Great Banquet community, and he and his wife have sung in the choir for the Christmas Cantata. 

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.
‭‭John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peace, it’s such an elusive thing. Yet Jesus tells us that we can find our peace in him. What does that conjure in your mind? Do you think of the peace that you’ve experienced in the arms of someone you love? Do you think of your mom holding you, comforting you, stroking your hair, scratching your back, cuddling with you? Do you think of the strong arms of your dad, protecting you and embracing you in a big bear hug? Perhaps you think of the peace that you’ve experienced at your grandparents house? It was a place that seemed stable and unchanging. Their warm and welcoming gaze and that twinkle in their eye set your heart at ease that all will be well. You had the sense that they would always be there for you. Peace in Jesus comes from knowing that we are not alone and that the One who is holding us is strong, capable, overflowing with love. 

During Advent, we look forward with anticipation to the day that Jesus entered into the world, in the flesh, as one of us, the long awaited dawning of the Light shining into the darkness (John 1:1). The peace that Jesus offers comes through the intimate relationship that he made possible when he took the form of a person, even and infant, to join us in human form (Matt 6:23). 

It should not surprise us that peace comes from connection. Peace, on this side of glory, is not in the form of the state of the world outside of us. That peace will indeed come when the new heavens and the new earth are revealed, but it isn’t here yet. The peace that Jesus spoke of is an inward state of being that we carry with us just as Jesus carried peace within himself flowing from his connection to the Father. This is a peace that David spoke of in Psalm 131:2, "Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me." (NLT) 

Jesus spent a lot of time surrendering throughout his time on earth. He went to get baptized in the Jordan by John, who initially protested. But Jesus responded, “Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism” (Matthew‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭MSG). Jesus was surrendering to the work of the Father that was coming together in that moment. Then he received the blessing of his Father, “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life” (Matthew‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭MSG‬‬). Jesus surrendered and received. He modeled for us this path to peace of surrendering and receiving. Yes, because he was Jesus he could actually bring peace to the environment. He calmed the storm on the lake (Mark 4:39-40), and his disciples were amazed! But how often does that happen for us? How often have we pleaded for God to calm the storm around us, yet it raged on? The illness took the person we loved. The marriage we prayed for did not survive. A war or disaster changed our lives forever. Those are moments we need to cry out for Jesus to calm the storm within us. In this world you will have trouble…He invites us to draw near, to connect to him, the living Vine (John 15:5). 

Living in this broken world means yearning for the return of Jesus. “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22, NIV). Jesus is still about the work of bringing his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven today. But often when we look around, we are troubled by what we see. Jesus is asking us to put our eyes on him, to place our trust in him, to believe that he is the one who the Father sent for our salvation. Jesus offers us a peace that is immovable because it is built on him. He told us, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew‬ ‭7:25‬-26 ‭NIV‬‬) That is where our peace comes from, listening to Jesus and trusting him enough to build our house on him. So peace is not contingent on an outward state, where there are no storms and no troubles. Jesus assured us that storms will come, that we will have trouble, but the world need not penetrate our hearts and souls and trouble us within. All that we see that troubles us has been overcome by the Son of Man who came to redeem all of creation, which includes me and you.

I hope that you experience inner peace this Christmas season through connecting with Immanuel, God with us, and that it is a deep and lasting peace, rooted in the unconditional love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world and is continuing his work to set the world right, to bring the Father’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Activity

Today, I encourage you to take a picture of someone you love with portrait mode on your phone. Make sure that their face is crystal clear and the background is blurred. Take their picture in your messy kitchen or cluttered closet or the playroom with their toys strewn around. Or take it in the noisy restaurant or the bustling mall. Make sure you can clearly see their bright eyes and smile. Let it be a small example of what Jesus was telling us. Keep your eyes on me in all of your troubles. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for coming into this dark, broken, and hurting world to begin the work of redeeming it. Let me see glimpses of your redemption in my time of trouble. Let me hear your calm and clear voice when I am lost. Let my mind turn away from the worries of this world and settle in you. And let my heart turn to you and find the peace that only you can provide.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

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