Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1433252
32 DECEMBER THE PEACEMAKERS O come, O King of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind. Bid all our sad divisions cease And be yourself our King of Peace. Matthew 5:9 We're all waiting, longing, yearning. That's why we sing, "O come, O come." It's a cr y of anticipation, a plea for someone to make ever ything that's wrong in the world right, and ever ything that's broken in the world, whole, and ever ything that's ugly in the world beautiful. We're not at peace with the way the world is and we instinctively know that no politician, no sage, no warrior, and no ear thly ruler can fix it. So, we cr y out, "O come, O King of Nations, come!" On the night Jesus was born, a heavenly host proclaimed that God's glor y would ring out in heaven and God's peace would break out on the ear th (Luke 2:14). This grand announcement dropped Isaiah's 700-year-old prophecy about the coming Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) smack dab into the middle of the roiling political, economic, racial, and social strife of first-centur y Israel. The Romans had established order in Israel, but there was no peace. Reminds me of our world today. Can you remember a time when our nation was more divided? We can't even agree on what's true, much less on what's right and good. We live in an age of outrage, with anger and violence simmering beneath the surface and erupting far more frequently than we've ever seen before. So, we yearn for genuine peace, reconciliation built on mutual respect, trust, and compassion. "O come, Prince of Peace. Come!" And He has! Jesus is the peacemaker. The Apostle Paul says it this way in Colossians 1:19-20, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross." The Prince of Peace has reconciled us to God and that is the only foundation upon which genuine peace between people, tribes, and nations can be built. That's why Jesus calls us who have been reconciled to God to be peacemakers on ear th (Matthew 5:9). And in making peace with others, we reveal the ver y character of our God. Today, celebrating that the Prince of Peace has come, let us resolve to not only to be at peace with God, but also to be peacemakers so that others can find the peace they long for in Him. Mark Young, PhD, President O Come, O Come Immanuel John Mason Neale (1861)