Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Background

This past weekend, our school-aged kids had camp night on Saturday. And our almost five-year-old knew exactly what that meant. It meant that her parents were going to get to take her to the mall while all the other kids spent a few hours at camp playing games and eating pizza. She knew because she remembered the last two times her siblings were at camp night. She remembered the playground, the high heels at the shoe store, the cookies, and the escalator. But what she didn’t remember was that when we went previously, it was not ten days before Christmas, a fact that was painfully apparent as I began my descent into the mass of traffic circling the mall. Surprisingly, though, we found a parking spot quite quickly and made our way into the mall without any great delay or frustration. And then, the real fun began. And I do mean fun. And not in a sarcastic or derogatory way.

Application

For my wife and I realized that the absolute best time to be at the mall was when it was full of people, and we had nothing to do but enjoy our daughter and watch all the people. We had no presents to buy or list to check off. So we took our time choosing what to eat. We let our girl climb around on the little carousel and mooch a ride off the other families that chose to drop in the quarters to make it spin. We caught up on our to-do list as she worked up a sweat running wild around the playground. We smiled and feigned embarrassment as she plopped down on a bench and made friends with a complete stranger. We stared in amazement as she led a teenage girl around a kiosk, pointing out all the best items to this girl she had never seen before. It was a Saturday night at the mall, something our gang doesn’t ordinarily do. It was hectic and noisy and a sensory overload. And it was peaceful. It wasn’t a town full of visitors registering and paying taxes. And we hadn’t traveled for days expecting a child. But it was peaceful, much like I imagine it was around the manger. And I, too, give glory to God in the highest. There is still some peace on earth.

Charge

As we seek Him today, put peace at the top of your Christmas list. Do what you can to realize it for yourself and to spread it to others.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words