Folks in monarchies know what a prince is. Our culture, not so much. A Prince is the son of a King (you know that from fairy tales, right?). Webster defines a prince as “a son of the sovereign.” A prince has all the rights, authority, & privilege that royalty brings. He may often be sent as a messenger or ambassador representing the King. He would bring the word or message of the King.
Why the tedious definition of monarchy? Well, at Christmas, particularly, we talk of Jesus being the “Prince of Peace.” Look around. See much peace? Would appear a hollow title except for this: Jesus came to bring peace of the heart! There will not be a total peace in this life. He came to bring a peace of the heart even in the midst of crisis. There’s the other rub. Our definition of peace is usually ‘freedom from problems or disturbances.’ A more divine definition is ‘a tranquil heart or calm even in adversity’.
Across the globe is endless fighting. Fights in homes & families make up much of communication in our society. Gone are the days when we left our houses & cars unlocked with little fear of vandals or thieves.
So, where in all this chaos is this “Prince of Peace?” Is it just a pipe dream or mushy talk for Christmas time & seasonal sentimentality? Your life may be a war zone right now. Where is peace in all that?
Again, we have to revisit the whole idea of why God sent His Son to us. Jesus was the King coming to earth: Royalty among us. We are doing ‘Advent” now in our family devotions, as well as in our church worship. Now, Baptist don’t typically do ‘liturgy’ of prayers & candle-lighting. I felt we needed a reminder of how the world anticipated the coming of the “Prince of Peace.” He came! We now anticipate His bringing peace to our hearts. We look forward in anticipation to His return with lasting peace.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
I have no idea of the events of your life today, but please take a moment to remember why Jesus came. He came not to simply bring a temporary cease fire, but rather a peace of the heart even in adversity. Love to tell you more about the greatest gift to man.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
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