Dear Jesus,
When you were born, the angels burst forth in glorious song:
“Glory to God in the highest!
“And on earth, peace, good will to men” (Luke 2:14, KJV).
Or, as the Good News Translation tells it:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
“And peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, GNT).
Yet, after a very brief period, all the baby boys in Bethlehem were murdered by a jealous king, and you escaped only because an angel warned your father to flee to Egypt.
Peace. Our country talks about peace. We have stepped into some of the hotspots in the world, such as Ukraine and Gaza. Newscasts have shown us vivid pictures of what is left in those countries. Vast areas that are complete rubble. If we do somehow bring about “peace,” and war ceases, what then?
If these people can ever go back to where their homes once stood, they will find nothing but ruin. Their places of employment are no more. Even if they can somehow create a roof over their heads, they will have nothing to support their lives. Nothing.
Jesus, you, yourself admitted, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34, GNT). In fact, Paul wrote, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12, GNT). In other words, if I choose to follow you, I should not expect to have a “good” life; it is more a matter of “no good deed goes unpunished.”
I know you came to earth two millennia ago and lived a good life, actually a perfect life. In fact, you challenged your contemporaries to convict you of sin, and no one could answer you! Yet, when you prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for your Father to take the cup from you, he did not.
It appeared as though Satan won a decisive battle against you, as you were brutally murdered on the cross. He exulted as you were placed in a tomb and the cover sealed tight. One hundred soldiers were stationed about your tomb—and an unseen army of evil angels—to absolutely guarantee that no one would disturb your remains. Your own followers, disciples, fled to the four winds in abject terror.
Satan guarded your tomb—from the outside. But he was powerless when, after resting on the Sabbath day, you simply got up, shook off the grave clothes, and stepped out of that tomb. The Roman guards fell as dead men at the sight off you. Satan’s massed millions of angels fled in terror, and you won the war.
Before your death you told your disciples, “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid” (John 14:27, GNT).
Just as you destroyed Satan’s power by stepping out of that tomb, so your Holy Spirit is within us to give us your victory, your peace. May we step forth in your victory to share the good news of your kingdom, whatever the cost.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Come soon! Come triumphant! Bring real, ceaseless peace!
Wil Clarke and his wife, Sylvia, attend the Liturgical Service and enjoy writing with the Inlandia Institute here in Riverside.