ini Message

When the angels appeared to the shepherds on that lonely night two thousand years ago, they brought a message of peace on earth. But where is the peace? From the advancement of the Roman Empire to the battle between the United States and Iraq which looms on the horizon, the world has seldom known anything close to peace. Were the angels mistaken? Has God stopped caring?

Those angels brought the message of God's greatest gift to the world. They brought the news that the Messiah had been born. The Jewish people had been awaiting this Promised One for a very long time and suddenly He was here.

But God often does the unexpected and Jesus was no exception. He didn't arive with a celestial army; He was born in a stable. He didn't come to battle nations; He came to conquer sin. And the peace that He offers, the peace about which the angels spoke, has to do with knowing Jesus personally. Before Jesus was crucified, He made this promise to His disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." (John 14:27)

The peace of the angels is peace in spite of what is going on in the world. It is an assurance that the Lord will take care of His people, that He will always be with them. That's what the coming of the Christ was all about - God with us. He makes that offer to every person on earth but if we want the gift to have any meaning, we need to accept it. We need to ask Jesus to come into our hearts.