This Sunday, we continue our Advent series, and we’re looking at the beautiful promise of peace. To do that, we’ll travel back about 3,500 years to hear the prophet Isaiah’s words: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…” (Isaiah 9:6–7). When Isaiah first spoke those words, peace was not the reality of his world. God’s people were anxious and under threat. Yet Isaiah pointed to a future peace that would not come through armies or politics, but through a child, the One who would be called the Prince of Peace.

As we open Luke chapter 2, we’ll see that Jesus entered a world every bit as chaotic as our own. Rome ruled with power, fear was constant, and even the king sought to kill Jesus upon his birth. Yet into that darkness, God sent light. The angels’ announcement, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased,” reminds us that Jesus came not to end political wars, but to restore peace where it was most needed: between God and humanity. The peace of Christmas is not a sentimental wish; it’s a spiritual reality that begins when we are reconciled to God through faith in Christ.