December 7, 2025
We’re in the season of advent, which is all about the arrival of Jesus! Jesus’ arrival changed the world! We’re celebrating and preparing for Jesus coming at Christmas. We light the advent candle each Sunday. Last week it was Hope! We talked about our hope is not in a what, it’s in a who: in God! Today the confirmation class lit the advent candle of peace. We’re talking about peace when we’re anxious.
I love Christmas decorations! I love to look at them. I don’t like putting them up or taking them down. But I love to look at them. And when they get taken down, and the Christmas tree gets put away, the house doesn’t look as good. And it seems like so many Christmas things: decorations on the tree, Christmas cards, Christmas wrapping paper, so much of it has the word, “Peace” on it! Why at Christmas time do we see the word, “Peace” so much, but we don’t feel it in our hearts? Working on this message this week, Ian and I had been trying to login into a website he needed to use. He got in. But then, he got stuck. It wouldn’t let us do what he needed to do! There were the two of us: two very inpatient people. We gave up and took some time to cool off! Then we apologized.
We can see the word peace in so many places, but maybe it’s not in our hearts. Jesus promised, in the gospel of John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives.” This is a different kind of peace. This is peace that only comes from God in heaven. Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” I’d like that peace, wouldn’t you? How do you get the kind of heavenly peace that Jesus gives?
There’re two kinds of peace related to God. The peace of God, and peace with God. First let’s talk about the peace “of” God.
When we read stories of Jesus in the gospels, Jesus is peaceful. His mind is exactly where he is! He isn’t preoccupied with worry or anxiety. Instead, he looks around and notices the people around him! He notices a widow putting a coin in the offering. Everybody else is impressed by the rich people throwing large amounts of money into the offering. But Jesus notices the poor widow! And he finds great joy in her generosity! He says, this poor widow gave more than anyone else! She has given everything she has! Jesus points this out to his disciples, because no one else notices her and her generosity. But Jesus does. He isn’t rushing around, busy, busy, busy, and always distracted! He also stops what he is doing for blind Bartimaeus, to help him see again. And Jesus takes time to heal 10 lepers. Jesus notices people and helps them. He has peace and the ability to focus on the people around him, instead of worrying! How do you worry less and have the peace of God, like Jesus did?
You live in the moment. Jesus lived his life in the NOW. For instance, he tells his disciples in Matthew 6:25-34, don’t worry about your life. Worry won’t add a single hour to your life! Seek God’s kingdom, and you’ll be given what you need.
One thing that gives you the peace of God is to live life in the NOW, paying attention to each moment. You don’t eat mindlessly. You focus on eating. You focus on whatever you’re doing: washing dishes or taking out the trash. It feels good to clean up, right? You think about your surroundings, what you see, hear, smell, and feel. It may sound silly to focus on each bite of food, but when you do, your brain gets a mini vacation from worry. God gave us this amazing world we live in. So, enjoy it! Pay attention to it! There’s power in living in the NOW. Live in the moment and soon you feel more peaceful.
Jesus lived in the now, focused on God and other people. I remember when I was going to have my first baby, I was in this mother’s group. We lived in Rough ‘n Ready, near Klingerstown, and the group met somewhere like Bloomsburg. This mothers’ group held that, especially when you have a newborn, people matter more than things. A baby is more important than a clean house. There was even one mom who felt so strongly about that, even though she lived an hour away from me, she said if I needed it, she would come clean my house after I had the baby. Kevin, said, “Would she really do that?” He was hoping. I told him, no, we can manage! But her offer and her care impressed me! Jesus lived each day with peace, knowing people matter more than things.
If we want the peace of Jesus, it helps to focus on the NOW, to enjoy each bite of food, and to remember that people are more important than things!
The other kind of peace related to God is peace with God.
We need peace with God. Why? Because we all sin. I didn’t have to be taught to be selfish. I bet you learned to be selfish all by yourself, too! It comes easily; we all sin! Before Jesus, people were caught in a cycle. They wanted to do what God wanted them to, but they always fell away and sinned. That’s why God sent Jesus. He was both God and human. He was without sin. He could be the sacrifice to pay the price for our sin. So, he went to the cross and died for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
If you wonder if you’re right with God, you don’t have to! The good news is you can have peace with God! Because God so loved the world, that he sent Jesus, so whoever believes in him, and that means whoever! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, you won’t perish, you’ll have everlasting life! If you believe in Jesus, you don’t have to worry about where you stand with God. God loves you and forgives you! You don’t have to worry about what happens in the afterlife. You have peace with God.
And because you experience peace with God and God’s love, it’s not such a big deal when you mess up. Because you have peace with God, you know God loves you all the time! God offers undeserved love and unearned forgiveness. Maybe God gets disappointed with you at times, but he always loves you. When you’re down, you realize, Hey! God loves me! I feel better about myself. I can accept and love myself! Maybe there’s things I’m not good at, but God made me. He loves me. I can love me too!
God loves you. Did you ever wonder what God loves about you? Maybe it helps to think what would a friend, or your mom say they love about you? That’s probably some of what God loves about you.
And so, if God loves me, I need to take good care of me! I’ll treat myself to a day off or spend time with people I enjoy. I’ll do something I love! When you have peace with God, you’re not so hard on yourself. God loves you, so you love you, warts and all! That’s peace with God.
Living focused on the NOW and putting people before things is part of what it means to have the peace of God. Peace with God comes when you put your trust in God, receive salvation, and accept and care for yourself because God loves you.
The peace of God isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of God. Sometimes websites or vehicles just don’t work. God doesn’t make our everyday problems disappear. But his presence in our lives helps give us the right perspective to know what is and isn’t important, and to love and accept ourselves.
My challenge for you is to write down something that God loves about you! Because he created you and is wild about you! Now tell someone near you, “You’re awesome!”
At the birth of Jesus, an angel appeared to the shepherds and said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” God’s favor rests with you! The peace of God isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of God. Amen.
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