Seek peace

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed.
Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines and earthquakes in various places
(Jesus, in Matthew 24:6-7)

In Gaza war is raging near the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
 
At Christmas we celebrate ‘peace and goodwill to all people.’ We hope peace will come into our often-war-torn world.
 
At the time of writing, I am rehearsing to sing in a performance of ‘The Messiah’, by Handel, which celebrates Jesus as ‘the prince of peace.’
 
During the First World War, German and Allied troops stopped fighting on Christmas Day and played football together. Human beings can replace war with peace, even on the killing fields of war.
 
“Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition of benevolence, confidence, justice” (Baruch Spinoza)
 
Human aggression is the greatest threat to the future of humanity. It infuses the human causes of global warming, climate change, environmental destruction, pollution of our rivers and oceans, etc. 
 
When Jesus was born about 2,000 years ago, he came to heal human aggression, showing how we can be at peace with God and our fellow human beings.
 
Christmas is portrayed as a family time, but strife happens in families. Some of the street-sleepers we see are separated from their families by strife. Paradoxically, a family created as a cradle of love can turn into a cauldron of conflict. Pray that our Christian families will be havens of healing peace especially at Christmas.
 
Prayer - O God, grant us the wisdom and the courage to strive for peace in ourselves, our families and our communities as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Prince of Peace. Amen.