Peace? What Peace? - Editorial Dec 2016:

I find myself strangely at a loss for words. We are entering the Christmas season. Christmas: a Christian celebration based upon the story of the birth of Jesus, Prince of Peace.

It’s no wonder that so many prefer to focus on Santa at Christmas. He’s a great guy! Jesus, on the other hand, appears to have got it wrong. Didn’t He come to bring peace on earth? What’s with that?

In Luke 2:14 angels announced to some terrified shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Since the angels’ announcement we have seen an endless string of wars. Humans everywhere have conflict in relationships, and stress – the absence of peace -  is well-known as one of the biggest causes of dis-ease.

For many, Christmas confronts us with two conflicting realities that are hard to reconcile. I believe it is this conflict that causes so many to relegate the Biblical story of the birth of the Son of God to a myth. A nice story. A tradition. A reminder that we should all be nicer.

But, just because it’s hard to grasp, and our eyes and our ears tell us of a different ‘reality,’ it doesn’t have to disqualify the divine message of peace. Perhaps we just need to look at it differently, and perhaps we just need to be a little more open to a mystery.

Life is full of mystery, which I, for one, think is pretty cool. For those of us who take the time to dive into its depths, and ponder the mysteries, some real treasure can be found. Including the truth about peace.

For now, I wish you all a fabulous summer, and some light-bulb moments as you take time to ponder some weird, conflicting Christmas mysteries.

Peace, out

Kerrie