8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
This is the first of a three part study on the peace proclaimed by the multitude of heavenly host.
Over two thousand years ago an angelic chorus heralded the birth of Jesus with the words, “Peace on earth, good will to all upon whom God’s favor rests.” What beautiful words.
Did you ever wonder, where is this peace on earth? Where do we look? Those angelic words didn’t stop the bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor. They did not stop the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tens of thousands, if no many times that have died during the carpet bombing of Arab nations. Right now, in Ukraine, there is no peace.
What gives?
Well, let’s consider it for a few moments.
In the time of Jesus there existed what was called Pax Romana, or the Roman peace. The Roman Empire claimed that its reign had brought peace to the world.
But what kind of peace was it? It was a peace built on terror, militarism, force, and intimidation by the power of the Roman army. They had a peace of subjection. Few, in my view, would call that peace today. People longed to throw off that yoke of Rome, indicating it was a peace forced upon them, not enjoyed by them.
It becomes ironic to think that peace, true peace, can exist only under government force. Many get caught up in the wartrap mentality which declares that government might is the answer to the problems of peace in the world. The possibility of our country “going” to war very possible. Suitcase and strategic nukes capable of killing many more than the 214,000 who died in Japan were things of science-fiction not long ago.
Next week we will look at Pax Christi.
Here is a prayer you might consider as you reflect on this study.
O God, we want to hear the angels’ song again. We want real peace within our own hearts, with our relationships toward others, and within our world. Help us, O God, to learn how to be peacemakers as we follow the Prince of Peace whos birth we celebrate in this Christmas season. Amen.
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