Peace on earth. Good will to men.
Jesus was born into a time when nations slaughtered nations. Only the strong survived. This empire, that empire, the Greeks, the Persians, oh here come the Egyptians and finally the Romans. Kill or be killed. Take whatever you want.
Even the Jews are killing and taking in the conquest of Canaan. In the New Testament, when they are talking about and praying for the restoration of the throne of David, what they are saying is this: "We are tired of being the little guys. We are tired of being beat down. We want to be on top again. We don't want to be subjugated. We want to subjugate others."
Jesus was born into a mind set of national violence. Winner take all. And in the middle of this setting, the angels make a profound announcement to the shepherds. Peace on earth, good will to men. Not just that the wars will stop, but we are going to begin a new way of treating each other. Good will to men. No longer an eye for an eye. The cycle of violence and retribution is coming to an end.
Goodwill. Grace. Love. This is the work of Kingdom people. This is what we are to be about. No more hatred. No more one upping. No more who is the greatest.
Peace on Earth. Good will to men.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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1 comment:
Jeff, in your sermon yesterday you made the statement "there's something bigger going on in the world than what you read in the newspapers." Your comments were about hope. I found that statement to be very reassuring in the violent world we live in.
Thank you. The entire message was about good.
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