"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" — Luke2:14
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor dothHe sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Some of us are good at preparing when it comes to Christmas. Lights up? Check.Christmas tree up and decorated right after Thanksgiving? Check. Presents purchased well in advance? Check. Groceries and supplies ready for our Christmas feast? Check. On the other hand, many of us are scrambling on Christmas Eve to finish our lists, and up way too late wrapping gifts for Christmas morning. Ready or not, Christmas is coming, and, without fail, it always comes on the same day every year.
No matter what is going on in your life-whether you are sick, you have lost a loved one, or the nation has gone to war-every December 25, the Church celebrates the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas doesn't wait for us to have our acts together; it doesn't wait for the suffering to stop, and it doesn't wait for evil to be vanquished. Christmas comes in the middle of it all. Similarly, Christ was born into a world that didn't have its act together; a world full of sorrow and evil; a world at war with each other and with God.
If God had waited for us to get our act together before sending Christ, then Christmas would never have happened.
If God had waited for us to get our act together before sending Christ, then Christmas would never have happened. Christmas declares that our predicament as sinners is so grave, so serious, so irremediable on our own, that the only thing that can save us and bring us peace is the miraculous incarnation of Christ.How bad is our situation? The divine Son of God had to become a baby so he could die for our sins in order to bring us peace with God.
God has given himself for our peace and pledged himself as a guarantee that he will make all things right...
And so, every Christmas, in the middle of whatever sorrow we are enduring or whatever evil is assaulting the world, as we hear the Christmas bells and carols, we remember: "'God is not dead nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail."' God's plan for redemption and justice is not thwarted. The birth of Christ is our reminder that while we cannot achieve peace on our own, our God has given himself for our peace and pledged himself as a guarantee that he will make all things right "'... with peace on earth, good will to men."'
Liturgy
God of our Peace,
Were you to wait for us to cleanse ourselves,
we would never be cleansed.
Were you to wait for us to give up our rebellion,
we would never be at peace with you.
We give thanks that, while we were yet sinners,
you sent your Son for our peace and redemption.
We give thanks that, though the world is in chaos,
Christ is our guarantee of peace and hope.
We cry out for you to do what only you can do:
make right what is wrong,
bring justice to the oppressed, heal the sick,
tear down evil regimes,
make alive those who are dead in sin, and build up your people
Let us hear and believe those words again:
"'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"'
Be glorified in your people as we rejoice in you.
In Christ's name we pray,
Amen