God’s Gift: The Prince of Peace
by: Darren Pries-Klassen
As I write this, the Christmas Season is upon us. It is a time for us to reflect on the words of the prophet Isaiah found in Chapter 9:6. "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NRSV) I am intrigued by the last reference to Jesus in this verse: "Prince of Peace.”
The Prince of Peace arriving on earth during the busy and frantic time of a census 2,000 years ago is more than a little ironic. Also ironic is our present day celebration of the arrival of the Prince of Peace. We celebrate it amidst the rush kids’ schedules, pageant practices, gift purchases, banquets, shopping malls, get-togethers at work, family reunions and so on. When I think of all that is supposed to happen in our family’s schedule in the next few weeks it strikes me that I will need to be very intentional if I am going to reflect on God’s gift of the "Prince of Peace.”
Looking beyond my own schedule into the wider world I see the war in Iraq has not ended, tension in the middle-east seems only to be building, Ukraine teeters on the verge of civil war, and HIV/AIDS continues to kill thousands of people daily, mainly in Africa. In the midst of a frantic pace of life and these horrific events God’s gift of Jesus – the Prince of Peace – seems not only out of place but "pie-in-the-sky.”
However, the words of the prophet Isaiah convince me to keep reading – more specifically, the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2. Isaiah spoke of Christ’s birth hundreds of years before it took place. That is a long time for people to wait for the Prince of Peace. It requires a great deal of patience but more so, it requires hope. Hope that the world of Isaiah’s time was not all that God had promised. Hope that the arrival of Jesus would mean the beginning of something new. Hope that as we celebrate Christmas today, with our busy schedules and a world filled with pain, the Prince of Peace is not yet finished working among us.
It is a shame that Christmas comes once a year. The birth of Christ that is, not my December schedule. Remembering God’s gift of the Prince of Peace throughout the year gives us hope throughout the year rather than just in the cold and busy month of December. If you don’t believe me, just look at how the Christmas story ends. "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”