Amazing Peace

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play;

In music sweet their tones repeat,

“There’s peace on earth, good will to men.”

 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor does He sleep,

For Christ is here; His Spirit near

Brings peace on earth, good will to men.”

                                            -Henry W. Longfellow –

The journey to the manger in the school Christmas concert can be anything but peaceful. Where are those props? How do you set up those risers again? Do we have enough programs? It’s not hard to end up in a spot where singing “peace on earth” feels like a living contradiction to what we feel. Perhaps that is because of the tyranny of the urgent that can consume us. Or, perhaps because we watch the “nations raging together” (Psalm 2:1) and our doubtful hearts worry that dark skies and dark hearts are winning the day.

Christmas in our Christian school ought to remind us that our faith is characterized not only by the “Amazing Grace” we sing of often, but also “Amazing Peace.” Though they may be fleeting, the moments in our lives where we experienced that peace are worth pausing for. Quiet snow falling, a sleeping infant, a musical moment of awe and reflection, or the hum of the road in a darkened car returning from a family outing - these all are a foretaste of the “perfect peace” that will one day characterize every day, every place, for every one of God’s children. I think peace is something you feel more than you understand.

May God grant us moments of that “peace that transcends understanding” as we tell the most amazing story: God took on flesh and became one of us. Now that is a source of amazing peace!

SJ

What gift to give?

A bedtime Christmas family favorite is “The Crippled Lamb” by Max Lucado. It tells the story of Joshua, a lamb who didn’t fit in, was broken, and he had nothing of value to offer the newly arrived King. I won’t share his gift so you can enjoy the story for yourself if you haven’t already, but the gift was one that he hadn’t even considered to be valuable.  

Perhaps the most true delight of Christmas gift-giving (not gift-getting) is in recognizing the ability to give something that resonates with who you are and what you believe is important, and then imparting that gift to someone else in way that is a rich blessing to them in ways they didn’t expect. 

We are so grateful at LCES for the many gifts we receive year-long. Time is one of the greatest gifts we are given by volunteers who offer the work of their hands in support of who we are and we what we stand for; we teach children to acknowledge and follow the Lord as they learn.

We’re also thankful for students sharing their gifts and talents. I can’t wait for the Christmas conert on Dec 20. Let’s rejoice together over the gift of God with us – Immanuel!
 

SJ