In 1914 at the beginning of World War I, enemy soldiers spent a week celebrating Christmas with each other. We can learn much from this stunning slice of history, and remember that the “peace on Earth” we strive for around Christmas should be our calling throughout the year.
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One Glorious Week
• Greg Boyd
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7 thoughts on “One Glorious Week”
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The only true peace comes from God….as Jesus says in John 14 ……peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled……this peace is both experiential and calming in times in times of stress and conflict than the world that says peace, peace and there is no true peace.
We find, amongst other things, Revelation discloses God’s judgements and in chapter 6 it says….And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword….so we can see God’s grace in providing peace on earth and its ramifications when it is removed.
Much more joy does it therefore come to the sons of God when Jesus says…I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
So in the life of a Christian, peace, is not just a word with little meaning in today’s world but a true blessing both to the individual and the influence on lives of those with which he interacts.
I love Greg. Read God at War and am now reading Satan and the Problem of Evil. Great stuff but I wish he would have covered the obvious questions raised by Christian pacifism: Is moral equivalence taught in Scripture? Would it be right to have let Hitler roll throughout Europe and beyond? Do we let religions that teach “convert or die” (i.e. Islam) just go ahead and kill us? As a futurist and a Post-tribber (with regard to prophecy) it seems that Islam (or some similar but new religion) will be empowered to kill any Christians they find under the Antichrist. Why did the Lord tell the disciples to flee to the mountains in Mt.24 when in Mt 5:29 he said do not resist an evil person? So why not just stand your ground, turn the other cheek and be killed?
Anyway, still love you brother! Just have these nagging questions. -David V. Clearwater FL
(sorry- Mt 5:39) -David V. Clearwater, FL (age 56)
Beautiful message.
God help me. Being born and raised with the “God and country” mentality and realizing what a blessing it has been to be born in this country, I’m having such a hard time while realizing that I have been duped into believing and/or accepting so many things that are antithetical to being a child of God. I’m very confused as to what to believe about history anymore and I feel like I’ve been let down by a lot of people who I thought were my heroes. God give me wisdom….
It was a good sermon, but I think a disclaimer should be put up. Stille Nacht is the Silent Night, a reference to the song; but Greg mentioned Kristal Naught which is the night of broken glass–a pogrom against Jews in the WW II era. A very different thing.
Actually, the spelling is kristallnacht.
Hello David and Tim, great questions! I know these topics are very contrary to what most of us were taught but I believe them to be at the core of what Jesus taught as part of His Kingdom. I recommend checking out “The Cross and the Sword” series that Greg did a while back. I does wrestle with a lot of these tough questions: http://whchurch.org/sermons-media/sermon-series/the-cross-and-the-sword
Also, Bruxy at the Meeting House in Canada did a similar series which is very good: http://www.themeetinghouse.com/pageid/1700/