CHRIST By The rev. John Donnelly CHRISTMAS EVE SERMON for Dec. 24, 10am, @ Christ
Church Quaker Farms
Perhaps one
of the most peaceful moments of the year will occur when later tonight after
we've received communion and lit our candles and start to sing “Silent
night, holy night ,sleep in heavenly
peace, sleep in heavenly peace.”
· As we sang those beautiful words by
candlelight, if your heart is open, you
will experience that heavenly peace to descend upon this room and descend upon your very soul.
Famous
American author Mark Twain once described the human desire to find Peace of
Mind . He wrote. “From cradle to
grave everything that a person does is designed to secure Peace of Mind
spiritual comfort for himself.”
As usual
Mark Twain cuts right through all the spinning hype and gets right to the point
we all want Peace of Mind ; but Peace of Mind is an elusive commodity. How hard it comes and how easy it vanishes.
Individually we work hard to maintain secure employment , secure
homes, and to provide security for our loved ones in order that we might
achieve Peace of Mind for the present and future.
· Many of us strive to achieve Peace of
Mind and our health by exercising right, eating wisely ,securing the best
medical care which money combined.
· We find additional security and
relationships at home , church or in places of employment or the like. No
However, in spite of our best efforts, Peace of Mind, created by humans, is fragile and
fleeting.
· How quickly is our Peace of Mind
shattered by sudden illness, or death, or accidents;
· but of course if we are honest with
ourselves, our Peace of Mind is not only
disrupted by powers outside of us, for
sometimes inner forces emerge from our own heart and shatter our Peace of Mind.
· I remember coming home one night when I was in a foul mood. I snapped at my family.
And then I was surprised when everybody snapped back at me. And I preceded to
blame them for ruining my evening.
· By my own resources, my Peace of Mind
is like the proverbial house of cards.
Indeed, the human quest for permeant peace of mind is bound to fail.
The bible
tells us that God looked down from heaven, and saw the outer and inner turmoil destroying
humanity. So at Christmas, God gave the one and only source of peace…The Prince
of Peace, Jesus Christ.
You see,
Jesus was born for you.
· God wants each of us to experience a
deep and lasting peace of mind, not just at Christmas, but year round.`
This is what the
shepherds heard from the angels, who said, “For unto is born a Savior, who will
bring peace to all people, with whom God is well pleased.”
· Think about that. The greatest miracle
of all time the birth of God on earth occur so that you personally can find
peace now and forever.
· Jesus was born so that even when you face
problems or trouble, you can experience inner peace which will not fade away
Most of my
life I never understood that the peace of heaven can be experienced in this
life. So Jesus says, “Peace of Mind. I give to you my own peace I leave with you
not as the world gives where it's here today and gone tomorrow but lasting
peace therefore do not let your hearts be troubled nor let them be afraid for
this peace can overcome all the trouble of the world.”
This is the testimony of many parishioners at Christ Church
Quaker Farms.
·
Of
course, we all face horrible tragedies at one time or another. But the inner peace, that comes from Jesus,
carries us through.
There Was a time in my life when I was panic stricken with
anxiety.
·
A
Christian friend explained to me that that was because I had only partially turned
my life over to Jesus.
· Jesus wants all of me. So, I asked Jesus to forgive of my sins.
· Then, I prayed that He would enter my heart as
my Savior and Lord.
· Now the peace did not come immediately; but
Jesus inspired me to walk on the path with Him, as that I could grow to trust
Him with trust.
· Now, through his grace, I experience more
peace of mind than anxiety. Thanks be to
God.
Right now, you can ask the Prince of Peace to come and enter
or reenter your heart, and you can find
the peace Jesus wants you to have.
·
Jesus
is just as close to you as a prayer.
·
Now if you are not part of a believing
Church, then find one.
·
These people will support you in your journey
of peace.
· Indeed, true peace of mind often emerges in
the fellowship of fellow seekers and finders of peace of mind.
Let’s
conclude in Prayer. “O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin, and enter in. Be born in us
today. How silently, how silently, the wonderous gift is given. Soo God imparts to human hearts the blessings
of his heaven.” AMEN.
