If you ever doubted that Christmas was a big deal for Christians look at the liturgy. Between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there are four different sets of readings to choose from. If they have one theme in common it is “peace.” “You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way… to guide our feet into the way of peace.” There is a 2005 movie called Joyeux Noel which tells the true story of the spontaneous Christmas peace during World War I. The combatants on both sides of the war were Christians and on Christmas Eve, 1914 after five months of shooting at each other from their trenches some brave soul yelled “Merry Christmas” across no-man’s land. The greeting was returned and before long both sides had climbed up to greet each other and sing carols together. It only lasted the one day and was not repeated. (The generals were displeased.) On December 26 they were shooting at each other again. That says to me they were missing one essential element of peace, namely God. Remember how the angels sang: “Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth.” Genuine peace does not come about through our willing it but when we understand that this is God’s world, not ours, and we need to live as God intends us to live, recognizing that every single person is a member of the family of God with Jesus as our brother. Then we’ll have peace.
