Peace.

The closing quarter of 2012 hasn’t been very kind to us.  Storms, hurricanes, and tragedies.  Unspeakable sadness.  We’ve struggled as a community, all of us.  And that’s not mentioning any of the personal struggles we may have had.  It’s easy to say that without the challenges, it would be difficult for us to appreciate all the privilege we enjoy.  And that’s how things seem to go, in pairs.

It’s ironic, perhaps even poetic, that in the shadow of all that we have endured in the lat week, month, quarter, we now stand days away from day of Jesus’ birth.  All the despair, agony and pain… then, Birth, then rebirth.  Jesus comes not to help us forget what’s been going on, but to remind us that in spite of what’s happened, that we are not alone.

I was listening to President Obama’s address to the Newtown, CT community on Sunday.  He promised the Newtown community that he would do everything in his power to provide whatever they needed to heal.  The President reassured them that we as a nation we will stand by them as they journey through this time.  He spoke these words, ‘You are not alone.”  Words of power.

“Fear not! for I am with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you!”

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.”

“For unto you is born this day, in the city of Bethlehem, A Savior.  And you shall call him Emmanuel, (which means ‘God with us’)”

Fear is rampant.  It has a stranglehold on our hearts.  People are deathly afraid that the world will come to an end this Friday.  So much so, the government had to issue statements that the world is not coming to an end.  The shootings last week, yes, the ‘shootings’ plural, only reinforce and validate the fears people already have.  But the message we have to carry in our hearts for our sake and for others’ sake is that we are afforded a Peace that is unconditional, untouchable by the events and happenings in our world.  “Fear not!”

Peace is our purpose and goal.  It’s not the setting of our religion, our worship, the doctrines, traditions or laws we keep that make us children of God,  The mark of Peace sets the children of God apart, holy, different from others.  The children of God know all will be well, even when things go wrong, all will be well, because God is with us.  His Presence gives us Peace.