WINTER 2025 ISSUE | 4 minute read

Peace in Perplexing Times

Every Christmas season, we are reminded of the angelic announcement that pierced the dark night in Bethlehem:

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." — Luke 2:14

Those words—"on earth peace"—have echoed through the centuries as a song of joy and hope. Yet, in today's world, they can also sound perplexing. We live amid political insanity, social instability, financial insecurity, and racial insensitivity. One headline asks, "How Dumb Can a Nation Get and Still Survive?" while another wonders, "How to Tell When Your Country Is Past the Point of No Return."

Is it even possible to talk about peace when turmoil seems to define our times? Wars rage, divisions deepen, hearts grow weary, and personal storms threaten to steal our joy. "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men" can feel like an unreachable dream.

Every generation has faced its own confusion and chaos, but ours seems uniquely complex. Modern technology connects us more than ever before, yet our souls are more disconnected. We have endless information but little understanding. We chase progress, promotion, and popularity—but often can't find peace.

The Christmas season interrupts our noise with a divine reminder: peace is not the absence of problems, but the presence of Someone greater than our problems. The promise of peace that comes with Christmas has never depended on our circumstances. It has always been about the presence of Christ.

When Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus, he called Him "The Prince of Peace." The Hebrew word shalom means more than calm feelings—it means wholeness, completeness, and restoration. Jesus didn't come merely to calm the storms around us, but to restore what sin had broken within us.

At His birth, angels declared peace.

At His death, His blood purchased it.

Through His resurrection, He offers it freely to all who will receive Him.

Peace is not something we achieve—it's something we receive.

When Jesus entered the world, He didn't come into peaceful times. He was born amid political oppression, social unrest, and spiritual confusion—much like today. Yet He carried peace wherever He went. He was peace in human form.

That same presence is available to us now. In our perplexing times, Christ whispers to every heart sailing through stormy waters, "Peace, be still." To every troubled mind and weary soul, He declares, "My peace I give to you." His peace steadies us when the news unsettles us, when grief overwhelms us, and when fear grips us.

This Christmas, let peace be more than a verse we quote or a carol we sing. Let it be something we live—something we lean into, rest upon, and share freely. Open your heart and your home this season and invite the Prince of Peace to rule and reign.