Finding Peace on Earth

The Christmas CD clicked over to the next song on the track. I was ready. After weeks of listening to this CD, I knew what song was up next. I waited for my cue to start singing. Once the intro ended, I joyously sang,

“Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled…”

This song had been one of my favorite Christmas songs to sing as a child. It was without a doubt on the top of my list of songs to sing for the mini concert I spoke of in my How Our Expectation Rooted in Hope is Important post.

I sung the song back then with pure joy. However, it wasn’t until I’d grown older that I began to pay close attention to the words I was singing.

In particular, there’s one part of the song that sticks out to me the most. It is, “God and sinners reconciled”.

Repetition can cause anyone to brush past the significance of this statement. Like me during the Christmas season, you may have held a hymnal in hand proclaiming this truth, not fully digesting or registering the weight of the statement.

The Prince of Peace

It’s easy to get caught up in the so-called holiday spirit, and miss the fact that Christmas is a celebration, commemorating the birth of the Savior. For many, wrath and judgment are not things that come to mind when thinking about Christmas. But if a Savior was born, He came to save us from something.

The prophet Isaiah prophesied,

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Prince of Peace. Wow! That name is such a fitting name for the Savior.

While singing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” years ago, I wasn’t singing it from a place of reverencing the peace offered between God and humanity. I wasn’t reminiscing on how Jesus Christ, the Savior, gave way for mercy instead of due justice and because of Him, I as a sinner could now be reconciled with God. But that’s exactly the sentiment of this song. This song, is a stark reminder that Jesus Christ was and is the peace born to us on the day we celebrate as Christmas.

Our Peace on Earth

The most beautiful thing is, the peace provided by the Prince of Peace is eternal. Like Isaiah prophesied,

“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” – Isaiah 9:7 (NIV)

We live in a very tumultuous and chaotic world full of pain and disappointment, but Christ was and will forever be peace on earth. Christ came as peace in bodily form and now He is the perfect peace that dwells within every believer’s heart and mind by way of the Holy Spirit. The perfection of the peace Christ gives surpasses all understanding. It sustains every believer through the toughest times.

It is out of the love I spoke of in my former writing Let’s Talk About Love on Christmas, that Christ even extends peace. And it is by this peace that one day, we as believers will dwell with God. In our time of dwelling with Him, Revelation 21:4 provides this assurance:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” – Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

Until then, we treasure the peace bestowed us on earth in our hearts as we await Christ’s return.