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Christmas Reec/on 2016

Barry Grecu, Director
Ministry Emmaus, Inc.
The Peace of Christmas Fills Our Hearts
On a recent ou/ng Sandi and I visited a year-round Christmas shop in Greenville where she bought a
liQle plaque that now sits in front of our Na/vity crche. The words on the plaque, The Peace of
Christmas Fills Our Hearts have been a source of medita/on and reec/on for me.
Just what is this Peace of Christmas? Or perhaps it should be asked, Who is this Peace of Christmas?
S/ll further one may ask, What is the nature of this Peace of Christmas?
Im reminded of the words of Jesus in the gospel of John (Chapter 14) when He extends His peace to the
disciples and this on the revela/on of His impending betrayal and death by crucixion. (John 13)
Obviously the Peace that Jesus oers is not the peace the world has to oer.
With this in mind, gaze again upon the Christmas na/vity crche. The Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus,
has come as a vulnerable babe in a manger. His mother? A teen-aged girl, a virgin found to be with child
by the Holy Spirit and fodder for the gossips of her hometown of Nazareth. Joseph, husband of Mary
who risks ridicule and humilia/on, trus/ng the words of an angelic dream that the child Mary carries in
her womb is indeed from God. Shepherds, lowest of the low in the socio-economic order, bearing
witness to the birth of the one whom the angels declare to be Savior. Wise Men from the East, stargazers, magicians, Gen/les not of the chosen race of Israel bow in worship of the babe of Bethlehem
with gics of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Not exactly a picture of peace the world might oer!
Nevertheless peace has been turned on its head, redened. The gospel of peace, the good news has
turned the world upside down! (Acts 17:6) This is the Peace of Christmas. May this Peace ll our
hearts today and always.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017!