*This is the fourth post of a four-part Christmas series.
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE.” Isaiah 9:6 NKJV
One of my favorite songs to sing at Christmas has always been Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. When I was younger, I think I just liked to say “hark.” 🙂 As I got older, and my love for music developed, I realized I loved the upbeat tempo of the tune and it’s cool refrain at the end of every line (Hark! the herald angels sing / glory to the newborn King!). Nowadays, however, the song takes on a much deeper meaning in my heart. This song celebrates not only the lordship of God in our lives, but also the peace God gives to us through His Son.
When Isaiah wrote of the coming Messiah, he called him the Prince of Peace. But Isaiah didn’t mean the peace we think of as the absence of war. The Hebrew translation of peace used here is shalom, which means contentment, completeness and harmony. Isaiah is referring to an inner peace we have because we have peace with God. And we get that peace by accepting the gift of salvation that God offers through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s why the song says “God and sinners reconciled.” Through Jesus we can now have peace with God because we are freed from our sins. And as the Bible says, since we have been reconciled to God, He gives us the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18). It’s our job to spread the good news to everyone, so that we can all partake in His incredible gift.
So as this holiday season comes to a close, continue to shout the gospel everywhere you go. Sing with the loudest voice “Hail the Heav’n born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of righteousness!”
And just for good measure, throw in a “hark” every now and then. 🙂