Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men!”  Luke 2:13 NKJV

Can you just imagine being out in the field taking care of your sheep and having an angel appear? And then after that having a multitude of angels appear. We are told they were praising God, but what does did they mean by, “…peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”?

If you look at other versions they say, “Those with whom He is pleased”, or “to people He favors.”

We love to read this passage and think this is some sort of universal declaration of peace to all mankind. But this is not the case. It is actually referring to the peace we have with God when we accept His Son, Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This pleases God. When we accept this wonderful gift, He has freely offered it gives Him pleasure.

Paul explains it this way in Romans 5:1 when he says, “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” True peace and joy come from surrendering our lives to Christ.

When the angels say, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” It doesn’t mean that everyone on earth will have peace and good will. It simply means those who have accepted Christ as their Savior and surrendered their lives to Him will have peace on earth.

The term Christmas cheer began as a reference to an alcoholic drink but has evolved over the years to refer to joy and kindness or a festive holiday spirit. We often speak of spreading Christmas cheer.

Over the last few days, I have been doing some last-minute shopping and have chided myself for failing to finish my shopping sooner. The traffic is a nightmare. The stores are crowded. The lines are long, and people aren’t so cheerful. I guess everyone is as angry with themselves as I am for waiting until the last minute.

It’s not so easy to be cheerful in these situations but like everything we do as Christians, it’s a choice we make. We can choose to be kind and understanding with the clerks who are overworked and probably underpaid. We can also choose to be kind to fellow customers even when they may not be so kind to us. We can choose to not have road rage as we navigate through the crowded streets.

We can choose to be cheerful and to spread that cheer. We can choose to show others God’s love during this holiday season. We can spend our times in these long lines and in traffic thanking God for all He has done for us.

We can have contentment and even joy and peace. Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” This comes from a man who has been blinded, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead and imprisoned numerous times. This also comes from a man who knew where his peace and joy came from. He knew it wasn’t about his circumstances but about his Savior.

As we go through this holiday season, we need to be sure to show the love of Christ. We need to be the beacon that guides others to Him.

This is a time of year that can be very upsetting for some. We never know what someone is going through while they are standing in line or driving in traffic. Show love and kindness to those around you. Spread the peace and joy that can only come from a life lived with Christ. Trust in Him and be grateful for all He has done for you. Show others what it looks like to have this kind of peace and joy. Show others what it means to truly have peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

Have a great day!