Let Peace and Good Will Reign
In the Gospel of Luke (2:13-15), an angel appears with a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! And it came to pass, when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, ‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’”
This is, indeed, a season of peace and good will, or at least that’s what we hope for. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always come to pass. Conflicts continue, bloodshed persists, and those words from the Gospel passage that we long to hear seem to ring hollow.
The shepherds keeping watch in their fields were struck with a profound sense of curiosity when the angels appeared to them. This led them to abandon their routine and see what “has come to pass.”
How often do we get so caught up in a daily pattern of life that our curiosity is stifled, and our routine turns into a rut? Perhaps this Advent season, we can allow our curiosity to take us in a different direction. Instead of being consumed by our to-do list, maybe we could take a break, relax, and enjoy the peace of the Christmas season.
With that in mind, allow me to invite you to join us for our Christmas Hymn Sing this Sunday at 2 p.m. Hear the sounds of the season, and lend your voice to the chorus if you wish. Then join us for a cookie reception in Fellowship Hall. Our hope is that this will bring serenity to your soul and inspiration to your spirit as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all, and take note: our Nutshell will also be taking a brief respite for the holidays before returning again in January.