Peace - Whispered or Shouted?

I was just at a Christmas party that was a healthy mix of believers and non-believers. A few of us were nestled in a corner whispering about the Angel Studios movie, “The Shift” - which you need to see if you haven’t. It’s really well done. We were pretty animated discussing various movies, books, Christian podcasts etc and one of the women said,

“How do non-believers cope during the holidays?”

It really was an interesting question that got me thinking about a few different things…

First. Why were we whispering in the corner?

It has been said that the strength of what we believe is measured by how much we are willing to suffer for those beliefs. 

Why are we afraid to share our faith?

• Were we afraid of offending someone who did not share our beliefs?

• Were we nervous about being labeled weird or worse right-wing conspiracy theorists?

• What was it about what we were talking about that made us feel that we couldn’t share it with others?

Second. Shouldn’t we share our faith with everyone, all the time, but especially during the holidays?  "Jesus is the reason for the season and let me explain this to you..."

The holidays are filled with so much commercialized hype and expectation and also a load of really sad or bad memories for many people.

Again. “How do non-believers cope during the holidays let alone the rest of the year?” We should be bringing the good news of Jesus to everyone because without Him they cannot cope! Without Him there is no hope.

He is The Hope!

We need to let people know that Jesus is way more than a baby in a manger or a nice guy who did some miracles and helped the poor people. We need to let everyone know that He came for them! Jesus isn’t just for church goers or for people who seem to have it all together. 

We are all a bunch of misfit toys. 

So, getting back to the party. Yes, you're right, we are a bunch of Christian weirdos. But everyone is weird and different and broken. So the question is, what are we afraid of? Why aren’t we more bold with our faith?

2 Timothy 1:6 says that we “should fan into flame the gift of God which is in you. God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Ok. I have to be honest. I don't always "fan into flame" the gift of the Holy Spirit that is in me. I can light up like a Christmas tree when I am around believers, but if I am honest, I am more like a dim flicker when I am in a mixed crowd of non-believers.

But, the world needs this Advent message of hope and peace and joy and love. We will not find peace or hope or joy or love in material things, in government programs, in world leaders, in self help books or ungodly yoga positions. We know where our hope comes from. Our hope comes from the Lord. He is The Way and The Truth and The Life and no one gets to The Father except through Him! This is the message that we should be shouting from the rooftops not just whispering in the corners. Peace! Yes, Peace! He is the Prince of Peace. Shout it out loud.