Pray for Peace

Interestingly, in a world with many stories, all stories seem to be converging around a common plea, a need for peace, healing, and hope.  Facebook offers an interesting smorgasbord of such pleas.  The other day as I was Scrolling down I found someone sharing a song by a rap artist lamenting the absence of his father, and the unrest in his community.  Continuing to peruse, another shared a song about a lost relationship, another - the death of a loved one, and another - a friend killed in war.  Scrolling down even further I bumped into an awkwardly transparent post from a woman desperately needing attention, spreading her dirty laundry for public eyes.  Scroll down once more, yet another shared song, this time by Reba McIntire titled, “Pray for Peace.  The “play” symbol was extremely tempting, I couldn’t resist.  Clicking it the music began to play.  Such simple lyrics, “pray for peace, pray for peace, pray for peace”, and on and on it went.  I stop my scrolling and contemplate, “what an interesting song generated from a modern age that promised so much.”  The promises of humanism and individualism has left us fractured and hurting.  Songs like this are becoming more frequent.  The world is praying for Peace, but peace has come.  People respond to story, but we have not told them the story that will make their hearts sing.  We have not told them God’s story, their story.  As I sit, listening to Reba, suddenly another song breaks into my thought.  This time a Casting Crowns remix of an only Christmas classic…

I heard the bells on Christmas day, Their old familiar carols play, And mild and sweet their songs repeat, Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

And the bells are ringing (Peace on earth); Like a choir they're singing (Peace on earth); In my heart I hear them (Peace on earth), Peace on earth, goodwill to men

And in despair I bowed my head, There is no peace on earth I said, For hate is strong and mocks the song, Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

But the bells are ringing (Peace on earth); Like a choir singing (Peace on earth); Does anybody hear them?(Peace on earth); Peace on earth, goodwill to men

Then rang the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep (Peace on earth, peace on earth), The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, goodwill to men

Then ringing singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

And the bells, they're ringing (Peace on earth); Like a choir they're singing (Peace on earth); And with our hearts we'll hear them (Peace on earth), Peace on earth, goodwill to men; 

Do you hear the bells, they're ringing? (Peace on earth); The life the angels singing (Peace on earth); Open up your heart and hear them (Peace on earth); Peace on earth, goodwill to men

The Bells are ringing, the song is singing.  When we tell the story, the bells ring loud.  The early church appointed Sunday to be a day of worship, because it was the day Christ rose from the dead.  On Sunday nobody was to fast because it was a day of celebration and victory.  When we fast, we are seeking God, desiring to hear him, but on Sunday he is with us, in our midst.  There is not need for seeking, because he is present.  Every Sunday is a mini-easter, in which the veil of reality is pulled back, and we are reminded of a reality that we so quickly forget in the hustle and bustle of daily life, a reality where God is reigning as King.  We enter the sanctuary on Sunday morning, knuckles dragging, bent over from the massive burden of the cares of this life.  And then we worship.  Once again we rehearse the story.  We are reminded that Christ is our king reigning in this world, and there is no problem bigger than Him, no hurt greater than his healing, no unrest more massive than his peace.  Suddenly, our back straitens, our frown diminishes, our countenance lifts, as we celebrate the joy of such a reality.  Satan is not the king of this word, my God is king.  Sin is not in charge, its Jesus.  The message seems silenced, the mocking louder, the church backed into a corner, out of the way.  But then we shout, “God is not dead, nor does he sleep, the wrong shall fail and the right prevail with peace on earth and good will toward men.  Then we go out into a world filled with people weighed down by the weight of sin and the cares of the world.  People crying out for peace on earth and good will to men.  Looking for hope, praying for relief.  Ah, but we know the story, we have experienced the peace for which the entire world longs.  We understand the origin of their unrest.  What they want is peace, but what they need is the story.  Moreover, they need the man of the story, Jesus.  So go and ring the bells, let them chime over our towns and cities.  Let all the world hear of the one who has brought peace on earth and good will to men.