The angels announced that Jesus’ birth meant “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth…” But if the word “peace” simply means “the absence of conflict” or “freedom from disturbances”, then the angels were full of garbage or Jesus did a terrible job and failed miserably at what he came to do.
In Luke 2:10, the angels show up to announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, and they say, “behold I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.” And then these angels announced Jesus’ birth with three titles. Three titles that tell us who Jesus is and what he came to do. I would bet most of you have heard the story of Jesus’ birth, but the titles given by the angels give us a really good look at who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish.
We might think of love as a warm fuzzy feeling we get when we're with another person, or simply as the enjoyment we get from something we like. But God's love goes far deeper than that.
Fear moves units off shelves. Fear sells products, runs governments, etc. But we’re commanded to be joyful and rejoice, even in the face of intense hardship. How does that work???
We use the word “hope” in situations of wishful thinking. “I hope it snows for Christmas.” But biblical hope isn’t based on something unpredictable, like weather. It’s based on something as predictable as the morning.