Christmas and Work: Is Your Work an Expression of Peace on Earth?

One of the most familiar and beloved of Christmas messages is “Peace on Earth.” You see this on Christmas cards, billboards, store windows, and church bulletins. Even people who don’t believe the basic story of Christmas can embrace “Peace on Earth.” It sounds wonderful, especially in a time of so much conflict in our world.

The phrase “Peace on Earth” comes from the angels who visited the shepherds at the time of Jesus’s birth. In the classic King James Version, the angels said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (2:14, KJV). Most contemporary translations portray God’s peace as given, in particular, “to those on whom his favor rests” (2:14, NIV).

Notice that the peace celebrated by the angels is “on earth.” It is not the peace experienced in Heaven, except insofar as you might say Heaven’s peace is coming to earth through Jesus. Rather, the peace highlighted in the angelic message is one we experience in this life, on this earth, as well as in the age to come.

But what is the nature of this peace? It includes what we tend to associate with peace, namely, the absence of war. It also includes the inner peace we experience through our relationship with God (see Phil 4:6-7). But the biblical notion of peace, which we often refer to with the Hebrew word shalom, consists of far more than this. It is life as God intended it to be, life infused by harmony, justice, fruitfulness, and love. Biblical peace is not just “everyone getting along.” Rather, it is people living in right relationships with others, through which all can flourish.

Christ was born to bring peace on earth. Ultimately, this peace is a result of his saving work through the cross and resurrection. Because of what Christ has done for us, we can begin to experience in this life the abundant peace of God.

Even in your daily work, you have the chance to experience and extend God’s peace. You can be someone who nurtures harmonious relationships with your colleagues and addresses conflict with Spirit-inspired wisdom in order to make peace. Beyond this, in your work you can express a commitment to God’s shalom, both by confronting injustice where you see it and by creating just systems so people can flourish in their work and their overall lives.