“Peace on earth, good will toward men,” these are the words of Christmas. Next week, the Christian world celebrates the gift of a savior whose promise was and is to bring peace on earth.
This celebration is one of hope, for across much of the world there is war, poverty and injustice, not peace, and mankind has yet to master the concept of good will. Christians believe that ultimately Christ, whose birthday this celebration honors, will return to create a world where peace and good will are universal. That God loves his people enough to send his son to save it and accomplish this is the great promise to the Christian world.
It would be difficult for a first-century Christian to recognize from American culture that Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth. The trappings, from the spending sprees to the decorations, seem to have little in common with the birth of Jesus in the humble abode of a stable, and His love-thy-neighbor message often seems lost amidst the political and financial corruption, cultural sleaze, selfishness and personal immorality of this era. Yet, for those who look and listen, human nature has not silenced the quiet message of Jesus. Rather, it has made it more relevant.
Americans live amidst unparalleled wealth even as we bemoan a weak economy; Jesus was born into and lived in, at least by our standards, poverty. We think of 401k and IRAs to plan for the future; he spoke of loving our neighbors to stockpile spiritual treasurers for eternity. We are captivated by the wondrous conveniences and technology of our time; he reminds us of simple, unchanging principles.
Jesus calls on His followers to assist those in need, to stand up to evil and corruption — to love one another. Christmas is a reminder of that message, and it appears during the days leading up to Christmas that more of us are cognizant of the needs of others and increasingly likely to demonstrate the qualities Jesus seeks than we are at other times of the year.
Jesus calls for peacemakers and people of good will every day — even in a world marred by unspeakable tragedy in Newtown, Conn., by car bombs in Afghanistan or increasing violence in Syria. The world is what the world is, but Christmas is a reminder to Christians that God remains in control, but Christians must work for peace and good will. Christianity is demonstrated not by the celebration of Christ’s birthday so much as by the lives and lifestyles of those who claim it. May Christmas 2012 remind all Christians of that truth and spur each who claims the faith to follow relentlessly the practices and teaching of the one whose birthday we celebrate.
