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Our scripture for today is Romans 5:8: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, ESV).

 Love That Reaches Us at Our Worst: Romans 5:8 reminds us that God didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up before offering His love. While we were still sinners—broken, rebellious, and unable to fix ourselves—Christ came for us. In love, He took on flesh and entered into our suffering, pain, and darkness. As Charles Spurgeon once said: “The greatest love you will ever know is this—when you had no merit, no strength, and no hope, God loved you.”

Love That Costs Everything: Advent is the celebration of God sending His Son, but Christmas cannot be separated from Calvary. Jesus’ cradle points directly to His cross. Philippians 2:6-8 shows us the humility and cost of Christ’s love: “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8, ESV).

The Love That Redeems: Christ didn’t sacrifice His life reluctantly; He gave it willingly. He went to the cross to reconcile us to God. Isaiah 53:5 reminds us: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV). The cost of love is great—but the fruit of His love is eternal: peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God.

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Our Scripture comes from the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:4-5: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:4-5, ESV). 

Advent is the story of God’s pursuing love—one that refuses to let us remain lost but draws us home through Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. God’s pursuit of the lost is entirely His initiative. In our sinful state, we are incapable of seeking Him. The Westminster Confession reminds us of this truth: “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation” (WCF 9.3). Yet God, in His love, moves toward us. Romans 3:11 affirms: “No one understands; no one seeks for God.”

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Today, we’re reflecting on one of the most profound truths of our faith: that God is love. Let’s start with our scripture reading from 1 John 4:9-10: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10, ESV).

Advent reminds us that the heart of Christmas is God’s love breaking into our world through Jesus Christ.

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As we conclude this week’s reflections on peace during Advent, today’s focus is on living out Christ’s peace daily—walking in the way of peace. Our reflection is based on Luke 1:78-79, the words of Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, as he prophesied about the coming Savior: “Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79, ESV). Jesus is our sunrise, shining His light into the darkness and leading us on the path of peace.

Luke 1:78 speaks of God’s tender mercy that brings the “sunrise”—a vivid image of Christ’s arrival breaking into our dark, troubled world. Pastor Alistair Begg reflects: “The way of peace begins not with our effort but with God’s initiative, born out of His mercy.” This way of peace isn’t just a destination; it’s a journey shaped by following Christ’s example and truth.

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This week, we’ve been reflecting on the gift of peace during Advent. Today, we’ll explore how Christ’s peace reconciles us—first with God, then with one another. Our focus scripture is Ephesians 2:14-16: “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16, ESV).

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to restore broken relationships and bring unity where there was once division. Let’s reflect on this powerful truth. Ephesians 2:14 begins with the bold statement: “He himself is our peace.” Christ’s death on the cross removes the barrier of sin that separated us from God. John Piper explains: “Peace with God is the foundation for all other peace. If we don’t have peace with Him, we can’t have true peace anywhere else.”

Romans 5:1 confirms this: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, ESV).

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Today, we’ll focus on Luke 2:7, where Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is born into humble and chaotic circumstances: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7, ESV). Despite the noise and disruption surrounding His birth, Jesus came to bring peace. How can we make room for His peace in the chaos of our lives?

Peace Amid the Chaos of Jesus’ Birth: Luke 2:7 paints a vivid picture of Jesus’ entrance into a world of disorder—an overcrowded town, no place to stay, and a stable as His birthplace. Pastor David Platt comments: “Jesus chose to enter the world not in a palace but in poverty, to show that His peace is accessible to all, no matter their circumstances.” This scene reminds us that peace is not about perfect surroundings but the presence of Christ in our midst.

Our Chaotic World Today: Like the world into which Jesus was born, our lives today are often filled with busyness and noise—especially during the holiday season. John 16:33 offers reassurance: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV). Even in chaos, Christ’s peace is available to us when we invite Him into our hearts and lives.

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV).

The peace Paul describes here isn’t rooted in circumstances—it’s a divine gift that comes when we surrender our worries to God in prayer. Pastor Tim Keller wrote: “The peace of God is not the absence of fear, but the presence of God.” This peace guards our hearts and minds, protecting us from anxiety and despair as we trust Christ to carry our burdens.

Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15, ESV). “Paul also reminds us in Colossians 3:15 to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. This means surrendering control and allowing His peace to govern our thoughts and actions, especially during uncertain times.”

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Today, we’ll reflect on Isaiah 9:6, a prophecy that beautifully declares Jesus as the Prince of Peace: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, ESV).

In a world full of turmoil, what does it mean for Jesus to be our Prince of Peace? Let’s explore this together. Isaiah calls Jesus the “Prince of Peace.” This title is more than poetic; it declares His mission to bring reconciliation between God and humanity. John Piper writes: “The peace of God does not mean the absence of turmoil, but the presence of a sovereign, all-powerful Savior who secures our souls forever.” Jesus came not just to calm external storms but to restore peace in our hearts and with God. Romans 5:1 reminds us: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, ESV).

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Revelation 21:3-4: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Isaiah 25:8: He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

John Piper states, “God is the gospel. The best and final gift of the gospel is that we gain Christ. Every other benefit is secondary, because every other benefit only enables us to enjoy God. Heaven is not heaven because of streets of gold but because God is there.”

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The beauty of Advent lies in the overwhelming goodness of the good news: God sent His Son, Jesus, to atone for our sins. What we could never accomplish on our own, God did for us through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His Son.  The angel’s proclamation to the shepherds in Luke 2 is the ultimate good news: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

This isn’t just any good news—it’s the best news the world has ever heard. Jesus, the Savior, entered our brokenness to redeem it. The bad news doesn’t get the final word; the good news does. And this good news is for all people. It’s a message of hope and salvation.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV): “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”