How Can I Become an Instrument of Peace at Christmas Time?

Advent Series Part Four: Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

Maybe the idea of a Peaceful Christmas feels a bit like an oxymoron by mid-December. The plans you laid on December 1st have dissolved, and now at the end of your rope, you've tied a knot and are hanging on until Christmas is in the rearview mirror once again.

It's not too late to start over, to claim "the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding" as the basis for your peaceful Christmas celebration.

Remember.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace...

Becoming an Instrument of Christmas Peace

By His Power, you can become an Instrument of Peace.

That phrase, "instrument of peace," has been attributed to St. Francis of Assisi in a historical prayer. However, its true origin is unknown. Even so, the prayer defines the path to peace for the Christ-follower willing to submit to becoming an "instrument" or a "tool" in the Hands of God.

Remember, the power does not lie within the instrument. Hand my youngest son a trumpet, and he'll make beautiful music, but no matter how fine the trumpet, all I'll create is noise.

Moses split the Red Sea using the "instrument" of his rod, but the Power did not lie within the rod. The Power lay with the Mighty God who had toppled every false god in Egypt's pantheon, flattened their economy, and freed His Chosen People without them having to lift a finger in their own defense. The same God comes to you as the Prince of Peace.

A Prayer for Peace

A quiet and trusting heart cancels out anxiety, and this prayer for peace is a good beginning for a peaceful reset to your celebration of Jesus's Birth:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Meditating on the words of this prayer offers you a very practical checklist, a working definition for a quiet heart, and a sure path to Christmas Peace.

Jesus is the Fountain of deep well-being.
He is the Source of right relationships.

May true Peace come to your Christmas celebration as you allow the Prince of Peace to enlist you as His faithful Instrument.