PEACE isn't only a notion on greeting cards; it's in our hearts and minds as well. There is a deep longing for peace in our violent and warring world. We hope for peace in far away places like Afghanistan, the Middle East, India-Pakistan, the Balkans, Africa, and, surprisingly, also here at home in America: The peace and security we took for granted within our borders was shattered on September 11.

We long for not only the outward peace in or world, but also for inward peace in our lives. Many hearts these days are troubled with fears, anxieties, uncertainties, grief and depression. Peace is a rarer, and so, a more precious commodity these days.

Of course, the longing for peace is nothing new in this world. Writing centuries before Christ, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a people walking in darkness, living in a land of deep darkness. Isaiah and his contemporaries were all too familiar with the boots of the tramping warriors and garments rolled in blood. Yet, it’s Isaiah who tells of a coming Prince of peace, who will bring a time of endless peace. And remember why it was that Joseph & Mary happened to be in Bethlehem when Jesus was born: they were there because the Roman Emperor wanted to get an accurate head count so he could tax more effectively the nation his army had conquered and was presently occupying.

The Middle East was a trouble spot then as it is now. Those shepherds our in the fields were longing for peace and for freedom. And so it really did come as good news when the heavens opened up and the angels sang to those lonesome shepherds a heavenly message Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.

To this day, we sing songs at Christmas that echo the glorious promise:

* Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.
* And praises sing to God the King, and peace to all the earth.
* Peace on earth, good will to all, from heaven’s gracious King.
* Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

We long for this blessing of peace. We need, we want it. Do we have any reasonable expectation of getting it? The answer is 1. Yes! 2. Maybe. 3. Definitely!!

Yes, we can have peace we can have it right now because we have Jesus Christ today. You and I can have peace, just as Mary & Joseph had peace that first Christmas. Those two weary travelers had peace, despite all the threats and turmoil around them, despite all the uncertainty ahead of them. The knew peace, because they knew for certain that God was with them the living, breathing Son of God, small enough to be held in their arms. Peace is not only a possibility in our lives, it is a reality because of Emmanuel, because God is with us, because we in fact have a Living Savior: Jesus the Christ.

The second part of the answer to our question about peace is MAYBE We can have peace if we are willing to work for justice. That’s how Isaiah describes the age of lasting peace, as a time of justice and righteousness. It can’t be only peace for us. The only true and lasting peace is peace for all. It can’t be a peace imposed by brute force. Yes, we need to defend ourselves. Yes, we need to resist evil. Yes, justice requires strength to enforce it. But lasting peace is not won by armies and weapons. The mighty Roman legions imposed a PAX ROMANA on the world by a force of arms, but it didn’t last. In our day, a missile defense shield will not create everlasting peace. As powerful and skilled as our fighting forces are--and thank God for them, and God bless them for me, the most promising, most encouraging development to come out of Afghanistan was the visit last week of a group of New York City firefighters and policemen bring tons of food and clothing to the children of Afghanistan. That is how you make a peace that lasts. I say maybe we will have the peace we long for, because sometimes we forget this. If we want peace, we must be willing to work for it as if everything depended on us, and pray for it as if everything depended on God: because it does! On our own, we cannot make peace. But working in us and through us, God can and does make peace. Remember what Isaiah says, it’s not some army or some political strategy that will bring lasting peace. He says, The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this. We need to remember what the angel told Mary, With God, nothing will be impossible. According to God’s strategy, the way to make peace with our enemies is by turning them into friends. (For many of us, that’s a big MAYBE.)

The final part of the answer is, DEFINITELY. There will most definitely be peace for the Lord has spoken. For now, we await that promised fullness of peace, that time we sing about, When peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling, And all the world give back the song, which now the angels sing. The final and lasting peace we long for won’t come in some sentimental way, it won’t be like a greeting card or a pretty storefront window display. The coming of the Prince of Peace into the world stirs things up. It stirred King Herod into a fearful rage, leading to the execution of many innocent babies. As an adult, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, offended enough people that they finally had him put to death. The prophet Simeon foresaw all this when the Baby Jesus was only a week old, This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too. Not what we’d calla peaceful vision. The phrase that has stuck in my mind this season is one that was spoken a week ago at the Sunday School Christmas Program. The manger was described as, THE CRADLE THAT ROCKED THE WORLD. And so it did and continues to do. In a world grown accustomed to war and violence and hatred and suspicion and vengeance, peace can be a strange, even troubling reality. It turns out that Love is a very powerful weapon, and it makes many uncomfortable. When Peace and Love actually arrive, all the usual patterns and expectations are broken. Perhaps the problem is that you and I have made our peace with the status quo, resigned ourselves to the way things are, made peace with war and injustice and suffering. BUT GOD HASNOT! God will not rest until peace comes to every heart, and neither should we. Listen to the Christmas angels, and be at peace. Be at peace as you work as God’s instruments of peace and as you hope for the peace that only God can give, and surely will give. Amen.