Verse 4

We all love our Christmas music.  I have been hearing suggestions from several of you about what songs to play and sing this Christmas.  There are the old favorites.  There are some new and beautiful songs.  There are traditional songs, and some of those traditions have become songs we sing every year.  

When we sing these songs something happens.  Maybe it is just me, but when we share music together in the context of Church, I hear and perceive God's message of peace, continuity and power over the things of this world.  Verse 4 of O Come O Come Emmanuel is a prayer expressing what we should all seek and this seasonal sense of peace.  "O come desire of nations, bind.  All peoples in one heart and mind.  Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease.  Fill the whole world with heaven's peace.  Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel.  Shall come to thee O Israel."  The spirit of this verse is remembering the voices of the angels praising God over the birth of Jesus saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace to those upon whom His favor rests (Luke 2:14)."

Three things happen in this praise chorus spoken (we want to believe sung) by those angels.  The first is our attitude when we come to God for petition.  The Lord's prayer begins with this same exaltation of God and God's power ... "Hallowed be thy name!"  The angels give God praise.  They profess that God has power both in heaven and on earth, even though this power is opposed by cosmic evil from the unseen realm (Satan), corporate evil from groups who conspire to do evil, individual evil from people who choose evil and infirmity (things that happen because we live in a fallen, dangerous world).  Our attitude and belief is that we worship a God who has (as Jesus said) overcome the world (John 16:33).

The second thing that happens is a blessing of peace.  Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)."  God's power and blessing are upon those who choose peace.  Maybe you apply an attitude of peace which quells strife or conflict at the family table.  Maybe (as is prescribed in O Come O Come) you decide that pride, envy and quarrels are a poor witness in a world that needs the blessing of peace.  Maybe you become willing to listen to the Jesus who wept over Jerusalem and said, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace (Luke 19:42)!"  Peace is a freely-offered expression of God's grace.  I think, like many things God desires for us, we have peace by submitting to God's will and way and putting away our knee-jerk reactions that bring on quarrels and strife.  Peace isn't easy.  Peace isn't our natural reaction.  Peace is of God.  Peace is truly a submission to God.

The third thing that happens is God's favor.  The blessing from Luke 2 and from the 4th verse of "O Come O Come" is ... God favors us when we follow Him vs the pull of the culture in which we live.  Many Bible verses come to mind here.  We find God's favor and peace when we "tell the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)."  We find God's favor when we choose to "turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)" and decide not to engage in those non-essential arguments.  We find God's favor when we understand that contentiousness is allowing Satan to get a foothold and refusing to submit to Christ's plan.

A final point.  Peace is NOT acquiescing to evil or leaving evil unchallenged.  Speaking the truth in love means we DO speak out against evil, but we flow from God's Word and we flow from God's love of people (yep, all of them!).  Dietrich Bonhoeffer preached the Gospel as the Nazi leaders led their people far from God's plan.  Million's died, including many American soldiers.  The entire world felt the pain of war.  Jesus, as He stood outside Jerusalem and wept, understood that perfect peace arises from seeking and following God's plan.  "O come desire of nations, bind.  All people in heart and mind.  Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease.  Fill the whole world with heaven's peace.  Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, shall come to thee O Israel."  Randy