Advent
Prince of Peace
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Read Psalm 85: 8-12 I will hear what God the Lord will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; And may they not turn back to foolishness. 9 Certainly His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land. 10 Graciousness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth sprouts from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,
Jesus said; “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
We are called to be peacemakers,
We gather, as the children of God,
committed to the call to peacemaking.
We gather, as the children of God,
finding refuge in our God of peace.
We gather, as the children of God,
to re-commit ourselves to the ways of peace.
We gather to worship our God who is peace.
Let us do so with thanksgiving in our hearts and holy reverence for all our God is.
Pray.
Songs
Advent Reading: Walker Family
Peace.
Is it just wishful thinking to have it in this chaotic, fast-paced, overwhelming world? Is peace something we refer to, “maybe someday” I’ll know peace?
If that is how we view peace, then very likely we don’t have many days living in peace because probably very few days are truly calm all day long or turn out exactly as we intended them to. With that understanding, we are saying I can only know and have peace when everything is going smoothly and everything is going according to my plan.
But how often does that really happen? We can all have good intentions for what we think we should be doing in any given day and then the phone rings, someone knocks on the door, emails are sent, your boss gives you something else to work on, the pets let their own plans of destruction loose, the kids get sick, a friend needs you…and so it goes your perfectly organized day begins to unravel and there goes your peace.
So do you go into complete frenzy mode trying to keep all the plates spinning and trying to grab hold of control once again??? Some of us might try that right? We have probably all been there and living in that frenzied state is no fun-for us and certainly not for those around us. We become like this cyclone that’s taking out everything in our path. A little pause to consider-when we are hearing our family or friends saying just stay out of their way for now, or I wouldn’t go near them right now… it could be a good check point for us to ask ourselves have I let my circumstances and loss of control steal my peace? Am I spinning out of control right? I’m pretty sure most of us don’t want to be like that, and yet, we can be, especially this time of year if we don’t have check points in place.
This is NOT what God desires for His children. We must remember as the Walkers just read for us, God gave His only Son to be born here, so He could ultimately die for us, as our sacrifice on heaven’s altar, not so we could live frazzled, spinning out of control lives. He did all of this, so we could live under His blessings, favor, protection, comfort, and guidance-which all lead us to living in a state of peace. He did this so we could bring peace to others around us.
As we have just recounted, peace is not something we naturally manifest. We much more easily manifest chaos, overwhelm, anxiety, irritation, and fear. Those all seem to come really easily don’t they? That is all part of our human frailty and a great reminder of why we need Jesus. We fall apart and spin out without Him near.
Jesus is our Peace. It is His presence in us as we believe in Him, that enables us to choose to manifest His peace.
Jesus is King eternal over all nations, and He is never operating out of chaos; He is not living out of fear; He is not operating out of anxiety for what is unfolding in our world. He is peace and wherever His presence is, there is Peace for He knows His work is finished through the cross and victory is His; which means victory is also ours as we believe in Him.
The choice we all must make daily is will we rest in His complete and finished work on the cross? Do we see Jesus truly as victorious in all things, as the King who reigns supreme, as Lord whose ways are far superior to ours and the One who works all things for our good? Or are we trying to rely on the power of man to bring about peace? Are we trying to control our environment so we can come back to peace?
The peace of Christ is real and ever present in our lives. We must first choose to receive it and then learn how to rest in it to combat our daily stressors and troubles that can steal our peace.
As we’re preparing our hearts for Christmas and the birth of our Savior, let’s read of a prophecy given by God through the prophet Isaiah. He preached the Word of God to Israel about 700 years before the birth of Christ. Listen today with fresh ears and hear the message of hope and peace Isaiah spoke of. Let these truths encourage your heart today. Let your mind imagine what is being described and let your faith grow. Listen for what this prophecy is saying even about us and our world today.
Isaiah 9: 2-7 NIV
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
6 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.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
What fell fresh upon your ears? This is a prophecy of the coming of Christ and the government He would reign over, for eternity.
A light has dawned-Christ was born! New hope arrived for all of God’s people.
The people walking in darkness-is referring to the Israelites conquered by the Assyrians. Super cool thing God did- Northern Israel was first conquered by Assyria and that was the downfall of Israel. Those parts included Zebulin and Nephtali. In the time of Jesus, these areas included Gallilee and Capernaum. Do you know the very first places Jesus went to preace? Those areas first conquered and covered in darkness. They were the first to receive the light of the Good News through Christ Himself! How gracious is our God?
Look Matthew 4:12-16 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Don’t you love how God weaves every detail and experience together for His glory and purposes? So awesome!
Also. This prophecy extends to all believers spiritually-for we were all in darkness in our hearts and minds before receiving Christ as our Savior.
There will be no greater power or government ever than that of our King of kings. His government will only expand and increase. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
This is a powerful and telling prophecy about our newborn King we celebrate each Christmas, but also our King we worship all year long.
He is our Prince of Peace. He brings light into our darkness and joy to our hearts as we rejoice in who He is! He brings calm to our anxiousness and fears. He brings order to our chaos. He brings comfort in our times of sorrow and hurting.
The key to walking in His peace is found in Rejoicing in who Jesus is. Do you know who Jesus is? Personally?
Peace is Knowing.
Peace is an automatic state we feel as we gaze upon Jesus and ponder the fullness of who He is.
Because I have had the great joy in spending time with our new grandson this week, I have been able to witness this manifestation of peace when baby boy is fussy about something and then he is snuggled into mama or daddy, he is pretty quickly calmed. He knows their voices, especially mama. She is his home and whenever he is near the ones he knows and loves, he is comforted and relaxes. (Assuming diapers are changed and he’s fed). With others, that peace is there for a bit, but right now he longs for the ones who truly know him and he is most content with.
I believe this is the same for us and Jesus. When we know His voice and we can tune to Him, letting His words of love and comfort speak over our troubled hearts, we can relax and be calmed.
But what if we don’t know Him, or what if we don’t really believe all that Jesus is?
Then we very likely are lacking peace or at best have it present from time to time but it’s not a constant flow in our lives. We don’t know how to maintain it. And we won’t, because peace that is from Christ means completeness and wholeness and we will never attain that on our own. It is through Jesus alone.
So when we are trying to manufacture peace in our own ability, it’s no wonder we can’t hold on to it for long.
Peace is knowing; it comes from knowing the One who is Peace. To truly know our Prince of Peace requires spending time with Him-no different than new parents do with their babies. And continuing to do so.
When Jesus was born the heavenly hosts filled the sky singing praises:
Luke 2: 13-14 NIV 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
They proclaimed a truth that Jesus brings peace to those whom His favor rests upon-to those who believe in Him and follow His ways. A promise and a blessing spoken over all who are in God’s favor.
Later the apostles were teaching new believers and reminding them of what they already knew to be true. Let us remember today also. They said:
Acts 10: 36 NIV 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
The apostle Paul clarified the purpose of Christ’s coming and what He brought through this accomplished purpose.
Ephesians 2: 14-15 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,
Completeness, wholeness, and harmony-in Him.
We must seek to know the One who is peace. We must understand the purpose for which He came, to reconcile sinners to a holy God and create a new humanity that is fused to Him through the Spirit, thus also fused to God, and fused to one another, for we are one. This fusion, this new creation destroys the wall of hostility between man and God, and between one another- creating peace. May we remember this bond of peace we share, which is Christ in us.
If we don’t know Jesus personally, we should begin there and invite Him to fully enter our heart as our personal Lord and Savior. Invite Him to lead us in every way and invite His peace to move through our hearts.
If we forget who Jesus is and the truth about what His coming brought about, let us come back to His Word and be reminded exactly who He is. Let us remind our soul that can grow anxious, fearful, and overwhelmed of the Prince of Peace who reigns supreme in all things, for all eternity, and who loves us without end. The Gospel of Luke will show us exactly who Christ is and why He came. This is a great place to go when we need this reminder of who Christ is as our Prince of Peace.
Then Let us invite Jesus into our lives-all parts of our lives, especially the areas we are lacking peace. For where there is no peace, there is no Jesus. Ponder that for a moment-where are you lacking peace right now? Have you brought Jesus into that area of your life? Do you see Him working in it?
Peace Manifests Through Jesus.
We must understand peace is not the absence of hardship or trials in life. It is knowing Jesus is with us always, through every trial, every difficulty, every valley, every uncertainty and it is knowing He works it all for good, for His glory.
I want to share a journal entry from a couple years ago where I asked God what He wanted to speak to me about His peace that day. It was this same time of year and I have shared it with some of you once before, but it is such loving counsel I wanted to share it again.
He showed me a vision of us strolling along a path and I was very young. He was holding my hand and I was looking up at Him like young children do as they walk along with someone they trust. It was very peaceful. I could feel peace. After a while He reached down and picked me up and carried me for part of the way when my legs grew tired-just like we do with young children we are caring for.
Then He spoke to my heart, “I am with you. I will carry you when you grow weary. Notice the pace is nice and slow, not hurried. We are just enjoying one another on a stroll, taking in the beauty around us. You are focusing on time too much lately and therefore are always racing against it, removing My peace I give you.”
This was given to me during a time that many things were pulling at me and I felt like I was racing against time. Can you relate?
He said, “Pause, come into My presence, take a stroll with us, let us carry you a while until you are strong enough to walk again.”
Isn’t that a beautiful invitation? Here is what He spoke to me specifically where I was struggling; I want to share with you.
I asked Him then, “why is there so much coming at me? How will I get it all done? It feels like I just can’t stay on top of it because I’m either doing things or I am mentally exhausted from all the doing and planning.”
Have you been there? Even pastors can slip into this. I had to laugh reading this later because it all got done and He helped me every step of the way as I let Him. But in that moment, I was feeling like I wasn’t going to make it on time. But that was the issue-that was the thing stealing my peace He freely gives to me. My expectation of time. Can you relate? Maybe it’s not time, but how you want something to be. That too can steal your peace from God.
He said, “My child just continue to flow in Me and together we will progress forward. Let go of expectations and just soak up what I am making known to you. It will work out and be as it should. Release the pressure to meet a certain timeline and just rest in Me.”
I said honestly, “that’s so hard to do.”
He said, “Only if you desire to keep control of your schedule. Who needs to hear this today? He said release your expectations that are putting unnecessary pressure on you and just come to Me. I will see you through, just as I always have. Have We ever let you down in this journey?
Two powerful truths- only if my desire to keep control of my schedule remained stronger than my desire to simply follow Him as He leads me-does the letting go become hard and pressure mounts. What was I desiring more? – A great question for all of us to ponder when we are not at peace. What is stealing our peace and does it stem from a desire we have for something that is not coming from God? Is our desire self-driven or God driven?
The second truth-posed back to me as a question- have we ever let you down yet? Isn’t it good to remember all the times when we are overwhelmed or wondering how we will get it all done, take care of things, or whatever it is… to reflect with gratefulness on all the ways God has faithfully helped us in the past?
I of course said, “No you have always helped me.”
He finished, Be at peace as you connect with Me. I am peace within you. There it is, Shalom-completeness and Harmony in Him.
That was powerful that day and equally powerful now to read. Oh, the unnecessary pressures we place on ourselves. The unnecessary burdens we carry. If only we come to Him and rest in Him, trusting all things will work out as He intends them to.
This is a message for all of us. The details might vary-but the message is equally true for all of us.
The truth is, we don’t need all the details worked out to be in Christ’s peace. We don’t need to know exact dates things are going to transpire to follow obediently and trust He is working all things out. We are to enjoy the journey with Jesus and rest in His completeness being manifested in our lives.
So let us invite Jesus to work in our lives and let us believe in all He is and trust in all He will bring about, for our eternal good.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
How do we practically do this?
Philippians 4: 6-7 tells us how: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
How I practice this involves what and who I’m picturing in my mind. I could picture the worst possible scenarios in any given circumstance and stew on those images and have no peace at all. Or I could bring my cares to Jesus asking Him to care for my loved ones, trusting in His care over them, over our church family and needs, giving thanks for His protection and picture the images the Spirit gives me of peace and joy. Then I remain in the peace of Christ that is flowing within me. When I’m struggling with something I’m doing, I pause just as He told me to and I picture us walking or sitting together and just being still and calm. Then as I connect with His peace again, I talk to Him about what I’m struggling with and listen for His counsel and encouragement. Then I follow what He shares for me to do.
Romans 8:6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
The Spirit will show us pictures or images when we invite Him to flow freely that include Jesus in that situation-because Jesus is always present in every moment. His peace rises when we look for Him. We feel a lack of peace when we picture scenes without Jesus there. Let us invite and yield to the Spirit’s flowing thoughts and images for the Spirit is life and peace. Our heart language is pictures and images. This is why He shows us vi
