Here’s another blog worth repeating, from the day after Christmas last year: it’s time to remind ourselves that Jesus’ birth was an invasion, and Satan considered it just that.

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. (Revelation 12.1 – 4, NKJV)

Mike Metzger of Clapham Institute writes:

…look at the first Christmas from the vantage point of heaven. It’s in Revelation 12. A woman is about to give birth. She’s tortured with pain, a reminder of God’s oracle to the woman after the fall. Her pain is exacerbated by the appearance of an enormous red dragon. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. We see this in Revelation 12, where Lucifer is crouching greedily before the woman, seeking to kill the newborn. Miraculously, the baby is carried away to safety. A headlong flight into Egypt ensues, with hosts of demons on the tail of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus (c.f. Matthew 2). Foiled, the serpent scans the horizon, declaring total war on all who follow the infant child. This should give Christians pause… Mike Metzger, The Seriousness of Christmas

Tim Lewis, son of lifelong friends Bruce and Elena Lewis, has written a song about this. He starts with a reference to the Normandy Invasion, D-Day, June 6, 1944. It’s worth listening to: Act of War, A Christmas Song.

Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent…And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12.13 – 17, NKJV)

He has come!

⁹ For the perfect Light of Truth was coming into the world
    and shine upon everyone.
¹⁰ He entered into the world he created,
    yet the world was unaware.
¹¹ He came to the people he created—
    to those who should have received him,
    but they did not recognize him.
¹² But those who embraced him and took hold of his name
    he gave authority to become
    the children of God!
¹³ He was not born by the joining of human parents
    or from natural means, or by a man’s desire,
    but he was born of God.
¹⁴ And so the Living Expression
    became a man and lived among us! (John 1.9 – 14, TPT)

We can think about the PEACE that the angels promised with Jesus’ coming and the peace he gives amidst our circumstances, but we have to read Revelation to see the ultimate peace – shalom. According to a wonderful Biblical resource that I highly recommend, stepbible.org, shalom carries with it the idea of completeness, soundness, welfare, health, safety… (To choose just a few of the words associated with shalom).

It’s in Revelation 21, part of the wrap-up of the Bible:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21.1 – 4, NIV (1984), emphasis mine)

There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. That’s shalom, yes? And the text is clear that until the old order passes, there will be death, mourning, crying, pain – our present state. But, at his next coming? PEACE.

We revisit the angel’s announcement:

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! (Luke 2.14, NKJV)

And in Jesus we have peace with God:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5.1, ESV)

Tuesday, we saw that prayer contributes to joy, but I cut the section off in the middle. Prayer also gives us peace…the peace of God.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4.6, 7, ESV)

Jesus is our peace.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. (Ephesians 2.14 – 17, NKJV)

When the wise men came to Jerusalem and inquired about where the King of the Jews would be born, the religious leaders knew – Bethlehem – from Micah 5.2. There’s a word for us about this week’s theme: PEACE.

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace… (Micah 5.2 – 5, ESV, emphasis mine) 

We’re thinking about PEACE this week, and although this verse does not contain the word, I think it’s a marvelous picture of God’s peace. What do you think?

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save; 
he will rejoice over you with gladness; 
he will quiet you by his love; 
he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3.17, ESV)

In this week of PEACE, we often seem to sit around and wait for God to do something. St Francis of Assissi didn’t see it that way:

Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it’s in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born…
To eternal life.

It’s also a great song, performed here by the Moody Bible Institute Women’s Concert Choir 60th Reunion, Founder’s Week 2015. (It sounds like June’s West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing Choir that she played for!)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5.9, ESV)

Wow. Almost done, and the last candle probably captures the most well-known promise of Advent:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2.13, 14, NKJV)

We’re not there yet, are we? But Jesus promised it:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16.33, NKJV)

It seems to be our pattern this Advent season to use one blog each week to talk about something else. As we prepare to enter the last week of Advent, the week of Peace, it may be useful to think of God’s POWER. Something happened in our area this week to remind us that God is, in fact, in control.

The Weather Guessers had been predicting high winds for Wednesday throughout Colorado. So I brought in our outdoor manger scene, made sure the deck furniture was secure, and stood by. We got nothing. A few gusts just over 30mph – no big deal. So I thought, the Weather people have over-predicted as usual. Then I drove into Colorado Springs for a scheduled haircut. Just north of the Springs, I drove between these two flipped-over semis.

On the way home, I drove past this one:

In all, I passed six overturned semi-trailer trucks. That’s a lot of power! And, as you can see, clear skies and sunshine. Just wind. 100mph in some places. It took two of us to open the door to the barbershop so I could get in.

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind. (Psalm 78.26, ESV)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3.20, NKJV)

As we think about JOY, it’s hard to beat Isaac Watts’ hymn from 1719, Joy to the World, taken in part from Psalm 98:

⁴  Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵  Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
⁶  With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
⁸  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
⁹  before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. (from Psalm 98, ESV)

Since the 20th century, “Joy to the World” has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.

Ironically many believe the song is less about Christmas than it is about the Second Advent. But JOY is appropriate for both occasions!

Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love.

Here’s a nice high church version from Washington National Cathedral.