The Peace Christ Gives

For faith in Christ reveals God’s covenantal favor upon you, grace bestowed before the foundation of the world, love predestining you for adoption, and peace made perfect in Christ.[5] And what can we say of the grace that enables us to believe the gospel while others, even our loved ones don’t? What can we say of the gift of faith that justifies us as righteous before God? While we may wonder, “Why me?”, but surely we can say with all the saints before us, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  . . . For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:33, 36).

Good News of Great Joy

We often think of the sudden, supernatural appearance of the heavenly host in relation to Jesus’ birth, and rightly so. But in a sense, their explosion of praise is but a commencement of our continued celebration. Paul said, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord,” and so we do, boasting in what God has done in sending his Son. Think about it: We have assembled on this Lord’s Day, the day of Christ’s resurrection, based on the full revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is only fitting that we join the heavenly host in crying out, “Glory to God in the highest!” For, our greatest joy comes in and through the good news of Jesus Christ.