Candlelight Service 2019

Well once again welcome to our living room. My name is René, I'm one of the pastors here at TLC2 and we've kind of done our best to recreate the vibe of that first Christmas night. You know probably it was crowded in that stable. All those shepherds and Mary and Joseph and everybody crowding into that tiny little stable, all the animals too, and that means it was probably hot and so we made it hot for you here on purpose and there was a lot of traffic because there was a census of the whole Roman world and you're gonna hear babies crying once in a while through the service for sure. Those are prop babies we hired them just to create the environment so welcome we're glad to have you here.

Hey I want to start with a story it's a true story and those who were actually there said it was a Christmas miracle. The time Christmas Eve 1914, the place the German front during World War I. The English were dug into trenches on one side and that the Germans were dug into trenches on the other side and it was at a stalemate, a vicious battle and then the Germans began singing Silent Night and the true story of what actually happened next is dramatized and of all things this TV commercial for a British grocery store chain named Sainsbury's but it's a beautiful video. Watch what happened next. Jenkins, Oakley, Knight. O, the infant so tacking and numb, Sleep with adventure wheeze, Stomach with adventure wheeze. O, the infant so tacking and numb, Sleep with adventure wheeze, Stomach with adventure wheeze, Sleep with adventure wheeze, Sleep with adventure wheeze, Sleep with adventure wheeze, For at least one night, Christmas really did bring peace.

Historians call it the Christmas truce of 1914. And it really did happen. It was documented with photographs and letters from soldiers who were there, like the British soldier Bob Lavelle, who wrote his dad, even as I write, I can scarcely believe what I have seen and done. It was a wonderful day. Question, wouldn't you love for that to happen again? When we were putting together tonight's service, we decided we wanted to emphasize one phrase, peace on Earth, because we need it so much right now. This past year in America, we've seen headlines like, Americans feel more divided than ever. And Americans are among the most stressed people in the world. We desperately need peace. Everybody feels it. So how do we get it?

Well, I want to invite you to turn in your programs to the front page, just on the inside. And just for a few minutes, I want to talk about peace on Earth. I want to look at what it is and how to get it. Very simple. What is it and how do I get it? Peace on Earth has always been associated with Christ. 700 years before Jesus was born, there was a prophecy. And it's the first verse on your notes. For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called. And say the rest of those verse out loud with me. Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. Now check this out. The Hebrew word for peace used there in the original is shalom. Say that out loud with me. Shalom. Doesn't that make you feel more peaceful just saying that?

It's an interesting nuanced word because it does include the sense that the idea of calm and the cessation of hostility, just like our English word. But it goes further than that. It also includes the idea of flourishing and wholeness and harmony. And that's the kind of peace that the Messiah brings. So that's the prophecy before Jesus is born. And then when Jesus is born, the angels announce glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. And then at the end of his ministry, Jesus says, I'm leaving you with a what? A gift. Peace of mind and heart. And now look at this interesting phrase. He says, and the peace I give isn't fragile.

Now what does that mean? It's not fragile. Well, let me demonstrate it for you this way. Everybody close your eyes right now. Go ahead. You can trust me. Just close your eyes. And now think of what is robbing you of peace more than anything else in your life right now. Got it? OK, open your eyes. And I'm not a mind reader, but I am going to put what you thought of on screen. Because everybody in this room thought of one of these four things, a place, pace, problem, or person. A place, home, maybe a source of stress for you. Or work, or being here at church. You're not used to it. It's kind of freaking you out right now. Or a pace, the pace of life. Everybody's so busy. Somebody told me, René, I feel like an unpaid Uber driver for my 13-year-old. And some of you can relate to that. Or a problem, finances, or maybe an addiction, or another illness, or there's a person. Maybe somebody in the news. Maybe a boss. Maybe a relative. Maybe some of you are sitting right next to that person causing you stress right now, and you're trying to stare straight ahead and not even twitch. Like, I don't know what he's talking about right now.

OK, here's why I bring this up. We tend to think when that circumstance has changed, when that thing has changed in my life, then I'll finally have some peace. That's a fragile kind of peace. Because number one, you don't have that much control over your circumstances, right? And number two, whenever your circumstances change, guess what? You bring you with you. The good news is Jesus came to bring peace before circumstances change, deeper than any circumstances in three ways. And you can jot these down. First of all, peace on Earth means that I have peace with God, regardless of my circumstances. This is the most important because it affects everything else.

The Bible says, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to picture those trenches during World War I. The Bible says we were dug in, living in opposition to God. And there was a no man's land of shame and guilt between us. And what did God do about that? Well, in the movie, you saw the two enemies meeting in the middle in that beautiful scene. Well, the beautiful message of Christmas is that God didn't just meet us halfway. God came across no man's land and all the way down into our trench, all the way down into a manger in a dirty stable. He came into our violent world, full of war, not to fight us, but to sacrifice himself for us. Because he loves you.

Peace with God means you're forgiven and you're loved. That's the foundation. And when you receive that, you can move into the peace of God. The Bible says, don't worry about anything. That's the hardest command of the Bible to keep, right? Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. And then you will experience an instantaneous change in your circumstances? No. God's peace, which exceeds anything you can understand. Peace is not the absence of problems. Peace is the presence of God. It's not that you're not going through it anymore. It's that you're not going through it alone anymore.

You know, there's a legend about a king who said, I will richly reward any artist in the kingdom who can paint the perfect picture of peace to calm my mind. And when the contest came, there was one painting. Everyone was sure would win the prize. Calm waters, fluffy clouds, a rainbow. And they were all surprised when the king chose another painting of a violent storm as the winner. Until the king pointed out, there was a tiny bird watching over her nest in the midst of the chaos. And the king said, that is true peace. That's the peace of God. Whatever happens around me, I can still have peace inside me. And then I'm called to live in peace with others. And do we ever need this right now?

It seems like everyone's dug in, divided. It's trench warfare. Everybody's just loaded for bear, ready to just get mad. And that's exactly the world that Jesus was born into, too. But the Bible says he destroyed those barriers. He destroyed the dividing wall of hostility. He kept running past everybody's barbed wire and trenches, past every racial barrier, religious barrier, gender barrier, nationality barrier, language barrier, with his message. And now he says to us, his followers, blessed are the peacemakers. He's saying to you and me, everyone in this room, go be my agents of peace.

Now, have Christians always been great at this? No. There are times we're much more known as conflict bringers than peacemakers. But this is our calling. Watch this. The idea is, wherever Christians go, shalom follows in our wake, flourishing. And how does that happen? When we help the widow and the orphan and the poor and those in nursing homes, when we forgive one another and give each other breaks, and in case you ever think, but René, I try to do that. But it's all just futile because the world just keeps getting worse. The Bible says, one day, Jesus will return and bring complete and total shalom to the whole world, and peace on earth will never end.

One of the soldiers at the Christmas truce of 1914 was a German soldier named Kurt Zamesh. And he rode home and described the whole event to his dad. And then look at what he wrote. Thus, Christmas, the celebration of love, managed to bring mortal enemies together for a time. But I told them, I didn't want to shoot on the second day of Christmas either. Well, one day, Jesus will say, no more shooting at each other. Not tomorrow, and not forever. And when that day of peace captures your imagination, you have hope, and you've got a complete vision for how to live your life as a preview of what Christ will do then.

So this is the kind of peace that Jesus came to give us at Christmas. And actually, that's what it means to be a Christian right there. And so how do I get it? I truly think that what I'm about to tell you is going to revolutionize your life. Because remember how Jesus said, I'm leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart? And what do you do with a gift? What are you going to do with a gift later tonight or tomorrow morning? Do you have to earn it by doing chores? No, you simply humbly accept it. Listen, I think this is revolutionary. Listen carefully to my next sentence. It could change your life.

So many people think that Christianity teaches that you've got to make your peace with God by earning it, doing lots of good deeds, going to church, being real, religious, whatever. But actually, Jesus teaches the exact opposite. It's just a gift. You just receive it. You just say, God, thank you. And then you daily live in it. And this could change every day of 2020 for you. Basically, you just keep reminding yourself you have peace with God, that God is for you. The Bible says, you, Lord, will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you. That's one reason I put all these verses about peace in the notes so you can take these home and kind of meditate on them.

It's one reason that in the new year, we're starting with this new series you see on the next page. I call it Habits of the Heart because there are certain heart habits you can get into, like learning to forgive, learning to celebrate, learning to show compassion, showing gratitude to God. And those heart habits are underneath all your other habits. And that's what makes you into a person of peace. And I invite you to join us. I can't imagine a more important thing for us to be doing. Can you imagine the difference this group-- look around. Can you imagine the difference we could be making if we determined daily to live as peacemakers?

In fact, here's what I want to suggest. I'm going to ask Elizabeth and Ryan of the band to come back. And as they do, I want you to notice that on your bottom of your notes there, I put a prayer of peace. And I want to suggest that we prepare for our journey into 2020 by praying this prayer together. And I'm going to ask you to dare to pray it out loud, maybe for the very first time or maybe as a recommitment. But you are making a commitment with this prayer. And the world needs it. And you need it. And as you pray this, you're saying as you head into the new year, you want to be God's agent of peace as you follow the Prince of Peace, Jesus.

And if that idea reflects your heart, I invite you to read this out loud with me. As we read this together, I'm going to put it on screen. It's also there in your notes. And I don't want to pressure you. If you're not there yet, you can just listen to these words and consider them. But if you're there, then let's lift our voices and read this out loud together. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the world. I believe he died so I could be forgiven and rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. I receive this peace. Now, Lord, help me stay focused on you. Lead me from war to peace, from falsehood to truth, from despair to hope. Let your peace fill my heart and overflow through me to my world. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.