I love singing.
I have been in school choirs, church choirs, and I have conducted school choirs, church choirs, children's choirs, Sunday School choirs, acapella groups and whoever wants to sing with me. When I used to travel, I would have the restaurant singing, the train carriage singing, and even an Irish pub singing. One lady asked me to sing 'Let There Be Peace on Earth' at the end of our coach tour but after a visit to a large war cemetery our coach people were stunned into reverent silence, so I took the opportunity to sing that song then. And still there was silence as we all want peace, and are so grateful for those who have given their lives so we can have peace on this earth.
Unfortunately, there seems little peace on earth today, so what did the angels mean when they sang 'Peace on earth' to the shepherds? Imagine being out in the dark - no city lights to even provide a glow - when the sky lit up with and angel, then God's choir? No wonder the shepherds were afraid, but then came the angel's message - 'Don't be afraid'. The angel had the best message yet, that the long awaited Messiah had been born and he wasn't coming to bring judgement, but love and peace.
So how can we live out God's message of 'peace' when there are so many atrocities happening right now? I like the words of that song 'Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me'. God promises each of us peace which 'passes all understanding' and which will 'keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus' and it is our responsibility to live out that peace in our lives, at home, work and social activities.
Home is probably the hardest place to practise peace, yet even today I read of domestic violence in Christian homes. That should never happen. Our home should be a place of love and peace for our families and friends and no-one should ever be a victim as a result of our actions.
There will never be real peace on this earth - that awaits us in heaven - but that makes it all the more important for each of us to practice peace in our daily lives. As the angels guided the shepherds to the baby Jesus, and the star guided the wise men to this special little boy, so this Christmas, think about how God can help each of us to bring peace to our homes and communities, this Christmas.
'Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.'
I have been in school choirs, church choirs, and I have conducted school choirs, church choirs, children's choirs, Sunday School choirs, acapella groups and whoever wants to sing with me. When I used to travel, I would have the restaurant singing, the train carriage singing, and even an Irish pub singing. One lady asked me to sing 'Let There Be Peace on Earth' at the end of our coach tour but after a visit to a large war cemetery our coach people were stunned into reverent silence, so I took the opportunity to sing that song then. And still there was silence as we all want peace, and are so grateful for those who have given their lives so we can have peace on this earth.
Unfortunately, there seems little peace on earth today, so what did the angels mean when they sang 'Peace on earth' to the shepherds? Imagine being out in the dark - no city lights to even provide a glow - when the sky lit up with and angel, then God's choir? No wonder the shepherds were afraid, but then came the angel's message - 'Don't be afraid'. The angel had the best message yet, that the long awaited Messiah had been born and he wasn't coming to bring judgement, but love and peace.
So how can we live out God's message of 'peace' when there are so many atrocities happening right now? I like the words of that song 'Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me'. God promises each of us peace which 'passes all understanding' and which will 'keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus' and it is our responsibility to live out that peace in our lives, at home, work and social activities.
Home is probably the hardest place to practise peace, yet even today I read of domestic violence in Christian homes. That should never happen. Our home should be a place of love and peace for our families and friends and no-one should ever be a victim as a result of our actions.
There will never be real peace on this earth - that awaits us in heaven - but that makes it all the more important for each of us to practice peace in our daily lives. As the angels guided the shepherds to the baby Jesus, and the star guided the wise men to this special little boy, so this Christmas, think about how God can help each of us to bring peace to our homes and communities, this Christmas.
'Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.'
RSS Feed
