Peace on earth
Sunday Sermon
Rev. Mark Eicler - Faith Lutheran Church
Friday, December 14, 2007
“Peace to men on whom God’s favor rests.” That’s part of what the angels sang after announcing the birth of Jesus, our Savior, to the shepherds, according to Luke 2:14 in the Bible. But what does this mean? What is this peace of which the angels sang? Do we have this peace still today?
Someone once defined peace as, “That calm of mind that is not ruffled by adversity, not overclouded by a remorseful conscience and not disturbed by fear.” Sound like a good definition of peace? The problem we face is how often we face adversities and how often we regret doing things or saying things and how often things in this world happen that can scare us.
For adversities, how about problems like financial or relational or health? We all face problems, over and over again. For a remorseful conscience, how about when you say something you wish you could take back or some choice you made years ago, that you still regret? We all have regrets. We all would probably do something differently, if we were given the chance. For fears, how about the forecast of a terrible ice storm or a heightened terrorist warning? Even going in for health tests can cause us anxiety and fear. Since we face these things, does the peace the angels announced still exist for us today?
The key, I believe, is in how the angels defined that peace. They sang of God’s good will which rests upon mankind. You see, we are the objects of God’s concern. Think of a hospital patient who is showered with “get well” cards and mobbed by visitors. Think of the family who endures a great tragedy, like their house burning down, and then gets overwhelmed by friends and neighbors who bring gifts of food and clothing and helping hands. The problems still happen. The tough times still have to be endured. But when you are the object of great concern, it feels good and it provides the hope and peace to make it through those dark days. And we are the object of God’s concern.
We know this since God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into this world, as His Christmas gift to us. Jesus Christ, true God, left His throne on high, and became true man, born of the Virgin Mary, so that He could be our substitute under God’s Law, suffer and die on the cross and then rise again on that first Easter morning, and earn for us forgiveness and eternal life. This is proof that we are the object of God’s concern, for look at the gift He gave. Look at the sacrifice God made. Look at the price God paid, so that we would have salvation.
You see, even though we often live under life’s crushing loads, God wants us to know that we’re at peace with Him. God has good will toward us. It’s as if God sees us struggling and failing and it breaks His heart. It breaks His heart so severely, that He sent His only begotten Son into this world to be our Savior and Rescuer. This is God’s gift to us.
Now, some might wonder, if we really are the object of God’s concern, why doesn’t He protect us from adversity, from bad choices, and from dangers that cause fear? Why doesn’t God just make this a “heaven on earth”? The truth is, this isn’t heaven, yet. This world in which we live is filled with sin and evil. There are consequences to choices we make and things we do. But the truth also is, that no matter what the adversity, no matter what the regret, no matter what the fear, our loving heavenly Father’s good will rests on us. We are the object of God’s concern. We have a Savior who has paid the price to rescue us. That’s God’s Christmas Gift to us: Peace on Earth.
• “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Mark Eichler, pastor of Emporia’s Faith Lutheran Church.