Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Recently, I again reflected on the fact that in the Gospels, Jesus’ life is bracketed by the word “Peace.” When the angels announced the good news of his birth to the shepherds, their song contained the hope of Peace for the world.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, in one of the last conversations he had with his disciples, promises them the gift of peace.

Peace is a gift that we still need. Tonight, many of us will gather for worship. The high point of this evening is when the lights are turned off, and we pass the light of Christ from candle to candle.

For many years, as pastor, I had the privilege to not only start the light moving out through the congregation but to be able to watch people's faces illumined by candlelight as they sang. I was always touched to literally see Peace settle on people in that moment.

I saw a family where the main breadwinner had just lost their job. For just a moment, they weren’t worried about tomorrow. They were celebrating being together as a family, surrounded by church friends who loved and cared about them. I would look specifically for people whose loved ones had died recently, and this was their first Christmas alone. In almost every situation, there was that brief moment you could see that they shed the blanket of grief that weighed on their hearts and were filled with loving memories of the past. Those memories brought them joy and peace.

For some it was the first time I had seem them smile since the loss of their beloved. The gift of Peace, sung about by the angels and promised by Jesus, is real and available if we but open our hearts.

Peace, we all need it. The message of this night and the day to come is that into a world of darkness, light is dawning. In a world of hurt, love breaks forth. In a world of loss, new life is ours. Jesus asks us to let this message fill us and gives light and peace. And if we do this, our troubled hearts will find rest, and our fears will subside, just as Jesus promised.

Let us Pray:

O Lord, giver of Peace, on this Holy night, fill us with your presence. Help us to quiet our minds so that we may hear the angels sing “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace,” knowing their message was not just to shepherds but to us as well, AMEN.

This devotion was written by Bill Green and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.