“The Jesus Gift:

Ninety-five years ago, millions of soldiers were pitted against each other in what was first named the “Great War” and later, unfortunately, would have to be renamed “World War I.” By the time this war ended some 4 years later, 8.5 million people would be dead, and 21 million more would be wounded. On Christmas Eve in 1914, in the fields of Belgium, soldiers from Britain and France were dug in to muddy trenches six feet deep, and in some places no more than 60 yards away, there were German soldiers in similar trenches, all dug by hand. When the light of December 24 began to fade, some of the German troops began to place small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside their trenches, and they began to sing Christmas carols. Across the way, singing the exact same tunes but with the words of their own languages, the English and the French began to sing along. Some of the German troops had worked in England before the war, and they began to post signs large enough for the Allied troops to read. The signs said: “You no fight, we no fight.” And some of the British units responded with their own signs that said, “Merry Christmas.” Soon thereafter, troops from both sides were coming out of their trenches, shaking hands, and declaring a spontaneous truce.

The first thing the soldiers from both sides did was to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades that previously had been unreachable between the lines. And then they began to exchange gifts of chocolate cake, cognac, postcards, newspapers, and tobacco. Some of them improvised soccer balls and they organized soccer matches. According to the official war diary of the 133rd Saxon Regiment, one Scottish soldier had a real soccer ball that was used in a regulation match with caps laid out as goals. The Germans won, 3 to 2. The unofficial truce spread along the lines and the fighting largely stopped, until around New Year’s Day. It seems that generals on both sides had started ordering their troops to resume hostilities under penalty of court martial. Private Percy Jones of the Westminster Brigade reported that the soldiers reluctantly went back to their own sides, “with much hand-shaking and goodwill.” On subsequent Christmases, the high command on both sides ordered artillery bombardments on Christmas Eve so no such spontaneous truce could possibly happen again.i

This Christmas season in The Village Church we are talking, thinking, and praying about peace. Last week we explored how it is that you and I have peace with ourselves through a relationship with Jesus. Next week we’ll take a look at how you and I have peace with God through Jesus. Today, I want to talk about the business of having peace with others. Nearly a century ago much of the world was at war. All but a handful of the veterans of that war are gone now, but warfare itself is very much alive. A few days ago our President announced the sending of more troops into battle in Afghanistan, many of whom will leave from a base just north of where we are today. The lack of peace is hardly anything that needs proven, and of course, it is not just about war among nations. Sadly, it is nothing new under the sun that people of this day, like people of every day, are having a hard time getting along with each other. Marriages and families are falling apart everywhere around us, even though we tend to focus on just the famous few. Different ethnic and cultural and social groups do battle with each other on thousands of fronts, even within the religious institutions of church and synagogue and mosque. People still hurt other people, whether in the human slave trade, human sex trafficking, or genocidal battle. While peace prizes are awarded with much fanfare, still, in so many ways and in so many places, there is no peace. And yet, here we are, proclaiming and hoping and believing that the Prince of Peace has already come into the world.

Isaiah prophesied during a period of Israel’s history when the nation was facing its own destruction. He didn’t know at the time, but his predictions of the demise of Israel were correct. But even though Israel would cease to exist as a nation for a time, Isaiah still saw that the hand of God was at work, and one day God would send peace to his people, like light shining in darkness. Peace would come in the form of a person who would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah’s vision sustained the people for many centuries, until the dawn of a new era, in theological terms, when a child indeed was born. Though most of the people of Israel would not or could not see it, some did, some like old Simeon, a man whom Luke tells us was “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel.” You see, Joseph and Mary had taken Jesus to the Temple, for her rite of purification and for the dedication of their firstborn son to God. And when Simeon saw them, in a moment of spiritual inspiration and clarity, Simeon proclaimed something for himself that really was meant to be understood as a message for all people: “Now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word: for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

My premise this Christmas season is that one of the ways you and I can most profoundly understand what Jesus is all about is to know that he presents us with a precious gift, the gift of peace. What is it about Jesus that makes for peace with other people? We have only a few minutes with each other this morning, but let me give you 4 key qualities that Jesus both exemplified and taught that you and I can use to bring greater levels of peace in our relationships with others, whether they are one-on-one or nation-on-nation. They are my own list, and I’m sure there are many things that could be added, but these certainly are key.

The first quality is tolerance. We don’t hear that word much anymore, but it is a very good word indeed. There are many ways to define tolerance, but they all have to do with making enough space for variation. When you look at Jesus, you see that he did not care so much whether a person was a Roman centurion, a half-breed Samaritan woman, a high Jewish official, or a despised tax collector. He tolerated a great deal of variation in a person’s circumstance in life, because he was mostly interested in certain things that, for him, were absolutes. The attitude and approach of tolerance does not mean that you accept everything. It means that you know which things are essential and non-negotiable, and which things are not. For Jesus, the non-negotiables were things like respect, faith, forgiveness, and love. Jesus cared supremely about a person’s relationships with God and with other people. Anything that promoted good relationship he favored. Anything that prevented them he opposed. Anything that was of no consequence in promoting loving relationships as God intended them, he tolerated.

The second quality is understanding. Jesus clearly understood the things that make people tick, the things that they think, the unique pressures and problems and possibilities that all come together to drive the human animal. Whether it was a guilt-ridden prostitute or a power-hungry politician, he knew what was what inside them and how they needed spiritual healing. In the context of human relationships, understanding each other is so often given lip-service but never the hard work it deserves. The great Israeli general and leader Moshe Dyan once said, “If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.” Talking, understanding, knowing each other, does not always solve all problems, to be sure. But this much is sure: no solutions are ever reached without understanding. Communication between spouses, among parents and children, between groups of all sizes and kinds, is hard work, but always essential in promoting happy and healthy relationships.

The third quality is justice. I use the term justice in a very particular way here. In the biblical context, justice is not just about lawyers and courts and the criminal justice system. Justice, in theological context, is about a just and righteous society, in which all people are treated equally, fairly, and with great respect and care. Justice is about civil rights, human rights, the kinds of things so eloquently described in the founding documents of this nation. Jesus spoke often of issues of justice, when he talked about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, setting the oppressed free, and taking care of the “least” of society. Jesus spoke and acted against anything that destroyed human dignity or ignored human need. And this is a precursor of peace. Where people are oppressed, enslaved, excluded, beaten down, or in any other way prevented from sharing the same level of rights and responsibilities and rewards as all others, then this injustice leads to the opposite of that which we seek, which is peace.

The fourth quality is forgiveness. Of this one I will say only this. Jesus himself forgave the very people who killed him, and that set the standard for what he would teach us. Inevitably, in the conduct of human relationships, we will make mistakes with each other. Forgiveness is about recognizing and owning up to those mistakes and then taking steps to move toward more healthy relationships. But this requires that the past be forgiven. When people hang on to the wrongs of the past they are doomed to forever be at odds with each other. Whether in marriage, in inter-tribal relationships, or even international relationships, forgiveness plays a key role. In those places where people and groups choose to nurture their grudges from the past, the only path forward is more conflict and more pain.

This is an all-too-brief review of some of the things that make for peace in our relationships with other people. I am sure that all of you can add to my simple list, and I hope that, in your own hearts you will do exactly that. What I hold in front of you today is a vision, not unlike that of Isaiah, and of Simeon. It is a vision where warring people decide to lay aside their weapons, whatever they may be, come up out of their trenches, and start talking to each other. It is a vision where we who say we follow the Prince of Peace will work just as hard at making peace as we do at making war. It is a vision where the disciples of Jesus that you and I say we are will learn from him about tolerance, understanding, justice, and forgiveness, and then apply these qualities in our personal relationships, and demand them of those who represent us in the larger relationships that tie us together in the world community.

Richard Schirrmann was a German soldier who witnessed and participated in the unofficial truce of 1914. It had a profound impact on him, and as he pondered its meaning, he wondered if it would not be helpful in the cause of world peace, whether, in his words, “thoughtful people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other.” In 1919 he founded the German Youth Hostel Association. And youth hostels ever since have been providing a place where people might learn tolerance and understanding.

I certainly do not understand everything there is to know about peace in our relationships with each other. But I know who does. My job today is to remind you about him and to challenge you to follow him. Wherever the battle lines are drawn in our lives, and however deep are the trenches into which we have dug ourselves, let us do whatever is within our power not to accept the state of warfare that exists among us, but instead, let us do the hard and dangerous work of making peace. It is the least we can do to worship the beautiful, heavenly Light that broke forth so long ago, when the Prince of Peace came to be with us.

Amen.