What do you want for Christmas? If you asked most people that question this time of year, many would say the same thing: peace. Peace from the busyness. Peace from the stress. Peace from the chaos of life. We all want it. But can any of us actually get it?
Pastor Josh White opened our final Advent sermon with a striking observation. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded every year since 1901 to the person who has “done the most for fraternity between nations.” Impressive recipients, worthy causes, noble intentions. And yet — we still don’t have world peace. Because the real problem isn’t a lack of good people with buckets. It’s a hole in the canoe.
The world can’t fix what it doesn’t understand. Biblical peace — the Hebrew word shalom, meaning completeness, soundness, wholeness — goes far deeper than the absence of conflict. True peace isn’t just the absence of war between nations; it’s the presence of restored relationship, of broken pieces made whole again.
That’s what Jesus came to bring. Not just the hope of total peace someday, but peace right now — in three specific ways.
Peace with God
Before we can have peace anywhere else, we need peace with God. And the bad news is: we don’t have it. We violated His holiness. We fell short of His standard. We deserve His wrath. Left to ourselves, we are objects of divine anger.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
— Romans 5:1-2
Notice: we were reconciled to God by his death. Not by being good enough. Not by trying harder. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, allowed us to make peace with God through His sacrifice on the cross. We are no longer objects of wrath — we are adopted children, co-heirs with Christ.
This is the kind of peace that nothing in this world can give. Not a peaceful morning with coffee. Not a quiet house. True, soul-deep peace that comes from knowing your relationship with your Creator is fully restored.
Peace with Ourselves
Here’s the honest part: the person who gives us the most trouble in this life is ourselves. We are born sinners, and until we receive our glorified bodies, we will never fully be who God created us to be.
But here’s the good news. As followers of Jesus, we have a new identity. We are new creations. And because of that, we can experience a wholeness and completeness that only the Prince of Peace can give.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33
Jesus doesn’t promise us a trouble-free life. He promises us peace in the midst of trouble — because He has overcome the world. That hope gives us peace with ourselves today. We stop looking to Christmas presents, careers, or circumstances to satisfy us. We know who we are in Christ, and that identity is infinitely more significant than anything the world can offer.
Peace with Others
This is the hardest one. And it’s where the rubber meets the road.
The reconciliation we have with God makes unity with each other possible — but it requires pursuit. Paul reveals in Ephesians that Christ’s death broke down the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, making peace possible between people who were once enemies.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”
— Ephesians 2:13-14
This isn’t just a positional truth — it’s a daily pursuit. Scripture commands us:
“Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
— Ephesians 4:3
Think about it: when the world looks at the church, do they see people who are different on the outside — different backgrounds, different personalities, different preferences — but unified in Christ? That’s the testimony that says to a watching world: Jesus is real, and He changes everything.
So What?
Christ came to give us peace. Not just someday in the fullness of time when He returns and all things are united under Christ. But peace right now — with God, with ourselves, and with each other.
This Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we’re reminded of our calling. We are to be peacemakers. We are to pursue peace. Not because the world demands it, but because we’ve experienced it.
“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:11-12
The world is watching. They need to see what they’re missing. They can find it — if we pursue it.
Scripture References
- Isaiah 9:6 — The Prince of Peace promised
- Romans 5:1-2 — Peace with God through Christ
- Romans 5:10-11 — Reconciliation through His death
- John 16:33 — Peace in the midst of tribulation
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — New creation in Christ
- Ephesians 2:13-14 — Christ our peace
- Ephesians 4:3 — Unity in the bond of peace
- 2 Corinthians 13:11-12 — Pursuing peace