THE SETUP
"Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?" — Clark Griswold to Cousin Eddie, Christmas Vacation
If you’ve watched the Christmas classic, Christmas Vacation, you know all about Cousin Eddie. He and his family show up unexpectedly (and uninvited) to the Griswold’s house which is already overflowing with family members. Cousin Eddie can get under Clark’s skin like no other. Eddie always says the wrong thing, always does the wrong thing, and has no sense of social boundaries. Clark has to do everything he can not to snap.
Maybe you have a family member like that — one who robs a little of your Christmas joy. You can avoid them most of the year, but when those family events roll around during the holidays, you have to count slowly to ten. A lot. Or it could be a co-worker. Or your neighbor whose decorations encroach into your yard. Sometimes “peace on earth” seems like a pipe dream during the holidays.
But Jesus came to bring peace to each and every one of us. His peace is a gift to us. It is what allows us to experience peace in the middle of the most trying situations. Often, we think changing our circumstances will bring peace, but the peace Christ offers isn’t dependent on ideal conditions. It is a work of heart that brings peace in spite of the storms of life. This Advent season, let’s take some time to thank God for the gift of peace that we have in Jesus.
PASSAGE TO READ
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What is the thing (or things) that can rob you of peace during the holidays? Why do you think they have that effect on you?
What do you think Jesus means when he offers us, “a gift – peace of mind and heart”? How does Christ bring peace to your heart and mind?
How can you cultivate peace in your heart and mind this Christmas?
PRAYER IDEA
“Jesus – thank you for the gift of peace. Help me to embrace that gift this Christmas. I pray that the circumstances around me, which I can’t always control, will not determine the peace I feel this year. Help me to experience internal peace despite what the season brings. In your name, amen.”