Peace at the Mall

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And 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 among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14 ESV).

The angels said, “on earth peace among men.” Well, if you’re much like me, you’d settle for a little peace at the mall when you have go fight the crowds for that special gift! In the late seventies Jean Staeheli and Jo Robinson, writers from the Portland, Oregon area, were asked to develop a workshop on handling Christmas stress for a small college in their area. The school was seeing an increase in problems with both staff and students during the holidays. There are some very practical suggestions in their book. I encourage you to consider them as you seek the peace God desires all of us to have, especially at this time of the year. First, make an inventory of all of the tasks you do to preparation for the holiday. Using the color code “Red – Yellow – Green.” Red means it’s on fire. You gotta put it out. That task has to be done first. Yellow means it’s important, but it can wait until the others get done. And, Green can wait for sure. Be sure to add some intrinsically valuable things to your list. Be a peacemaker in your family and the world; spend enjoyable time with your immediate family; reunite with your relatives; and, celebrate the birth of Christ. Second, make note of your experience from deeply satisfying holiday celebrations of the past. Create a Christmas plan with two or three goals to help transform your celebration to be in greater harmony with your values. Usually after we have evaluated our own values and desires in comparison to what we are actually doing at Christmas, it becomes evident what tasks need to be eliminated, delegated, or simplified. Third, worship with a community of faith. It is always important to celebrate corporately during this time of the year. Find a place you feel welcome and know you hear the Gospel.