Where Do We Find Peace When Life Won’t Slow Down?
Every December, we sing about peace. We decorate with it, write it on cards, and pray for it. But in real life, peace often feels like the one thing we can’t hold onto. Our minds run, our schedules spin, and our hearts grip tighter and tighter trying to keep everything together.
This week’s message reminded us that peace isn’t something we manufacture — peace is Someone we meet.
The Peace We Try to Make vs. the Peace Jesus Brings
We all know what it’s like to chase peace through control:
controlling timing
controlling outcomes
controlling relationships
controlling our future
controlling every crack in the sinking boat
But that kind of “peace” collapses the moment anything goes wrong. As the sermon said, if your peace depends on everything going right, that’s not peace — that’s control.
And control is exhausting.
Jesus arrives into a world filled with chaos, conflict, political tension, and fear… and He comes not as a warrior emperor, but as a baby — the “Prince of Peace” promised in Isaiah 9:6.
In Hebrew, He is Sar Shalom:
Sar — ruler, captain, the one in charge
Shalom — wholeness, completeness, safety, well-being, rest
So when we call Him the Prince of Peace, we aren’t praying for a feeling — we are calling on the One who rules over all wholeness, rest, strength, and security.
A Tale of Two Rulers: Caesar and Jesus
The sermon painted a striking picture:
Caesar Augustus, the most powerful ruler of his time, brought a temporary peace — but only through force, intimidation, and control. His peace reached the economy but never the soul. And the moment he died, his “peace” collapsed.
Then Jesus is born under Caesar’s shadow.
A greater King.
A true Savior.
A real Son of God.
And while Caesar built his peace by shedding the blood of others, Jesus brings peace by shedding His own blood.
While Caesar used power to control people, Jesus used love to reconcile them.
While Caesar fought earthly battles, Jesus fought the battle for our souls.
God’s Army Shows Up… Not for War, but for Peace
Luke tells us that when Jesus was born, a massive army of heaven appeared — not marching into battle, but declaring peace on earth.
Heaven’s army arrived to announce a different kind of kingdom:
A peace that isn’t imposed.
A peace that isn’t political.
A peace that doesn’t crumble when circumstances shift.
A peace that comes from reconciliation with God Himself.
Peace Is a Person — and He Opens the Door
When Jesus arrived, He didn’t just offer peace.
He is peace.
Because of His arrival, His life, His death, and His resurrection:
we have full access to God
we are no longer enemies, but sons and daughters
we no longer have to earn peace — we receive it
we no longer hold life together by force — we surrender
Romans 5:1 says we now “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus.”
The door is open.
Peace is available.
But it requires a response.
Peace Comes Where Control Ends
Jesus invites us into a life of surrender — the same life He lived.
That’s where peace flows:
When we release what we’re gripping.
When we stop patching every hole ourselves.
When we stop manufacturing peace and start receiving it.
Peace doesn’t remove the situation.
It meets us inside the situation.
So What Are You Holding Onto?
The sermon challenged us deeply:
finances
marriage
career
timing
expectations
future
the need to know, plan, fix, control
What we hold the tightest is often what God asks us to surrender.
Because peace is not the absence of hardship — it’s the presence of Jesus.
Peace is not found in certainty — it’s found in surrender.
Peace is not something we build — it’s Someone we trust.
This Advent, peace doesn’t come from everything going right.
Peace comes from the One who makes us whole, even when everything is not.
In the sermon, we heard that “if your peace depends on everything going right, that’s not peace — that’s control.” Where have you seen this play out in your own life?
Compare Caesar Augustus’ version of peace to Jesus’ “Prince of Peace” identity in Isaiah 9:6. What stands out to you about the difference?
Jesus brings peace not by removing circumstances but by meeting us inside them. What situation in your life needs His presence rather than your control?
Peace is a Person — Sar Shalom, the One who brings wholeness and safety. How does this reshape the way you pray during anxious seasons?
What is one area God may be inviting you to surrender so you can truly receive His peace this week?