The Heart of Christmas: Peace has made His home here.

Preached on Christmas Day 2021 by Rev. Joshua Taylor

Christmas Eve on the frontlines:

{It’s Christmas Eve 1914. The night is clear and cold. Moonlight illuminates the snow-covered no man’s land separating the trenches... British High Command, feeling nervous, sends a message to the front lines: ‘It is thought possible the enemy may be contemplating an attack during Christmas or New Year. Special vigilance will be maintained during this period.’ The generals have no idea what’s really about to happen.

Around seven or eight in the evening, Albert Moren of the 2nd Queen’s Regiment blinks in disbelief. What’s that, on the other side? Lights flicker on, one by one. Lanterns, he sees, and torches, and … Christmas trees? That’s when he hears it: ‘Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht’. Never before has the carol sounded so beautiful.

‘I shall never forget it,’ Moren says later. ‘It was one of the highlights of my life.’³ Not to be outdone, the British soldiers start up a round of ‘The First Noel’. The Germans applaud, and counter with ‘O Tannenbaum’. They go back and forth for a while, until finally the two enemy camps sing ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ in Latin, together. ‘This was really a most extraordinary thing,’ rifleman Graham Williams later recalled, ‘two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.’⁴

A Scottish regiment stationed just north of the Belgian town of Ploegsteert goes further still. From the enemy trenches, Corporal John Ferguson hears someone call out, asking if they want some tobacco. ‘Make for the light,’ shouts the German. So Ferguson heads out into no man’s land. ‘[We] were soon conversing as if we had known each other for years,’ he later wrote. ‘What a sight – little groups of Germans and British extending almost the length of our front! Out of the darkness we could hear laughter and see lighted matches […] Here we were laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill!’

The next morning, Christmas Day, the bravest of the soldiers again climb out of the trenches. Walking past the barbed wire, they go over to shake hands with the enemy. Then they beckon to those who’d stayed behind. ‘We all cheered,’ remembered Leslie Walkington of the Queen’s Westminster Rifles, ‘and then we flocked out like a football crowd.’ Gifts are exchanged. The British offer chocolate, tea and puddings; the Germans share cigars, sauerkraut and schnapps. They crack jokes and take group photographs as though it’s a big, happy reunion. More than one game of football is played, using helmets for goalposts. One match goes 3-2 to the Germans, another to the English, 4-1.}[1]

This story has been told lots of times and if it wasn’t so well documented you would think it was a myth as it is just so incredible. The version I just read comes from Rutger Bregman’s recent book: “Humankind: A Hopeful History.”

In his book, Bregman makes the argument that what we see in this story is an example of the goodness within humans deep down. This might be so, but it is no coincidence that all of this peace happens at Christmas time.

For me this story is just a little taste of what the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: “Every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.”

Isaiah also said “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)

The prophet Isaiah shared his words in the midst of great upheaval, war, and chaos.

Isaiah 9, which we heard read this morning says that a child will be born who will be called “the Prince of Peace” and “of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.”

Isaiah wrote these words 700 years before Jesus was born. The people waited in hope and anticipation for Christ the prince of Peace to come, and today as we gather to worship we celebrate the birth of the prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago.

Luke tells us that when this baby Jesus was born the angels sung out: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Again – the theme of peace comes up once more.

That is what I want to explore particularly this morning, this Christmas in the midst of what has been anything but a peaceful couple of years both here in Aotearoa, and also around our world.

Because there is something about Christmas which speaks of a peace deeper than we can imagine. A peace that can bring two warring armies together to sing carols.

The message of God bringing peace through Jesus has always been at the heart of Christmas, and this year I believe we need to hear it more than ever. Because like Isaiah, and like Luke, we live in a world where all is not peaceful.

This promise of peace is established through the birth of Jesus Christ, and yet, at the same time we await its fruition and fullness – and as we see the story of Jesus unfold in the gospels we will see that his followers are invited to be a people of peace, following in his way and seeing it become a reality on earth as in heaven.

The Hebrew word for “peace” in the Bible is the word “Shalom” which refers to “everything as it should be”, “wholeness” and “flourishing.”

Each of us will have experienced this in different ways in our lives and we certainly know what it feels like when its missing.

To think of “peace” in this way is to think of the good life – what we all yearn for deepest in our hearts – to love and be loved, to have meaning and purpose, to feel deep contentment and joy.

There are, however, lots of ways of thinking about how this peace is attained. 

During the time of Jesus, the Romans had declared the pax Romana, “the peace of Rome.” The good news that the Roman Empire preached was that to be a Roman citizen, to be part of the progress of the Roman Empire was to flourish. The Romans of course maintained this peace by war with their neighbours – the peace of Rome was maintained by a sword.

And so, there were many people during Jesus’ time, especially the Jews living under the Roman Empire who were hoping to be set free and have political freedom.

Jesus came into this world preaching that God’s kingdom was at hand – that God was about to bring peace and make things as they should be.

Jesus said that his kingdom was not of this world. (John 18:36) When Peter tried to make things happen by a sword, Jesus told him to put it away. (John 18:10)

Jesus’ kingdom and peace comes not through violence or coercion, but rather through love. Jesus preached to the crowds and disciples calling them to love their enemies, to care for the broken and the hurting, the despised and the outcast.

Jesus didn’t just preach this but he modelled it with his life and ultimately in his death gave Himself for each and every one of us.

This year we have seen a lot of discord and division, a lot of anger and spite, a lot of hurt and people making enemies of one another.

This year, I truly believe the Christmas story draws our eyes to the Prince of Peace – the one who announces a different way – God’s way of bringing peace by love.

Think of the way that God did it. God establishes his kingdom by coming as a baby.

Is there anything gentler than a baby?

I guess for new parents out there – in the middle of the might when baby is screaming, there is an exception – but babies are characterized generally by their gentleness.

This year afresh I have also been struck by the theme of gentleness in the carols the other day as we were singing them at church. We hear the words “mild he lays his glory by”, “holy infant, so tender and mild” – the tone is one of gentleness. This is how God comes to us.

And so as hear the good news of Christmas – that God comes to bring peace and to heal our hurts, to rescue this world – we are invited to respond, and to follow. We are invited to let the gentleness and peace of God flow into our own hearts that we might know God’s peace in our midst.

So…

As you celebrate Christmas this year may you personally know the peace of God with you – calming any fears or anxieties.

As you celebrate Christmas this year may your families know the peace of God with them – wherever there is discord, disagreement, or disharmony may the peace of Jesus break down walls that divide.

As we celebrate Christmas this year may our communities be full of God’s peace – where there is division and hate may we sow seeds of Christmas peace – because the prince of peace, Jesus Christ is King.

[1] The story as told by Rutger Bregman in “Humankind: A Hopeful History”, 385-386. Quoted directly.