Each year there seems to be a bit more strain between those who want Christmas to be a holiday and those who know Christmas was a holy day. How do we live and work alongside people who want to believe differently than we do? With those who want to insist we believe as they do?

Many think that Christians shouldn’t believe we have the only answer. That way of thinking indicates a lack of tolerance. They almost always insist that we believe their tolerance is the only answer, not realizing that they have been intolerant of our beliefs.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told those listening, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Jesus didn’t just teach God’s children to live peacefully. He told them to “make peace” wherever they went. Paul reminded Timothy of the power behind those who “make peace.” Paul wrote, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

Every Christmas the world extols the “peace” of the season, but, in truth, it is one of the least peaceful times of the year. People are rushed, overbooked, and often unable to afford the month of December. Christmas began as a holy day and became a holiday. 

Christians have a unique opportunity to be “peacemakers” in this busy time of the year. We can simplify our season to all that makes it holy. We can walk these busy days with Jesus, the mediator between God and men. We aren’t just called to put on a peaceful face; we are called to “make peace” anywhere we go. 

Jesus is the peace people are looking for and the reason someone’s holiday can become a holy day instead. If a tense situation arises, ask the Mediator to speak through you, and bring the Lord’s peace into the room.

Wisdom is understanding that the gift of Jesus is our treasure. Jesus told his disciples to be “peacemakers.” He then gave his Spirit, the Spirit of the Mediator, so that we could speak his peace with wisdom to a world that needs to understand that Christmas is much more than a holiday. It is a holy day.