Peace Out!

Is it just me or is peace a commodity that the world has bailed on? Ongoing war, political unrest, terrorist threats have unfortunately become all too common in our vernacular. Even this week another foiled terror attack on an airliner has reminded us that we live in a very fragile world. It seems the closest term to peace the world can come up with is security. I find it interesting that the quest for world peace has been replaced by the second best ideal, global security. In fact, Google “global security” and you’ll get over 80 million hits versus 42 million hits for “world peace”. I know we can’t read too much into Google hits but it’s interesting nonetheless.

In the midst of the Christmas season we often hear the Isaiah 9 passage: “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.”

A “Prince of Peace” in the 21st century? This name given to Christ is much more than seasonal poetry. Christ came to give us…

• PEACE VERTICALLY – a peace with God through Christ who has become our very peace through his death on the cross.
  
• PEACE HORIZONTALLY – a peace in our relationships with each other. Christ came to not only restore a relationship to himself but to reconcile and restore our relationships to one other.
  
• PEACE ULTIMATELY – one day the Prince of Peace will return to rule and reign as King of all Kings and of this peaceful kingdom there will be no end!

Our role in the meantime is to live in that peace and to extend that peace. Matthew 5:9 (KJV) 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Peace out!