For most people, I think that the Christmas season is a time when you think about family. I hope that you came from a family that was full of peace and unity and all of your Christmases were magical. I’m going to be honest and say that the holiday season didn’t always seem synonymous with “unity” for me though. We won’t get fully into it, but my family is…difficult. I remember always feeling like someone (me, usually) needed to be the peacekeeper, and you never knew what the mood was going to be. The stress of Christmas seemed to bring out the worst in some people, instead of the best.

Today’s Bible reading is from the book of Ephesians, and there is a common theme of unity through this letter. Again, it was almost difficult to wrap my mind around unity being a theme of Christmas. Funny how the way we were raised colors so much of how we view God, right? But before Jesus, there had been a separation of Gentiles and Jews. This separation of people groups led to a lack of – you guessed it – peace. Verse 14 starts by telling us that not only did Jesus bring peace; He IS peace.

This entire passage is a beautiful picture of the gospel. Paul tells us that whether you are Jew or Gentile, Jesus’ death on the cross gave us all access to peace with God. Without His payment for our sins, we could not have peace, and we would for sure never experience unity. I’m so grateful that I am no longer considered a stranger or foreigner to God because Jesus came to earth and later died for my sins. Now I am considered a citizen of Heaven. Instead of entering into this Christmas season worried about being a peacemaker myself, I can rest assured in the knowledge that Jesus is my peace.

Reflection:

• Where do you have a lack of unity right now? In what ways do you need to allow Jesus to bring peace to that situation?
• Who can you think of that needs to hear the hope of the gospel this Christmas season?

Family Application: Ephesians 2:14-22

Author: Cooper Herrington

Touchdown! One team scores and the fans go crazy! One side of the arena is happy and the other team’s fans might be angry. If you have ever been to a game, you know that the fans from the teams usually don’t like each other. They want their team to win, not the other team. In the Bible today, it is talking about two groups of people that didn’t get along. These people were not on the same team, but Jesus stepped in and did something incredible. Jesus died on the cross for every single person and rose from the dead three days later. (This could be a great time to add John 3:16 to the scripture you read today with your family.)

When Jesus died and came back to life, He brought all people back to him. Jesus didn’t stop there though. When we have a relationship with Jesus, we are on the same team as everyone else who has a relationship with Jesus. How does it feel to know that everyone who has a relationship with Jesus is on the same team?

In football, the team has a mission. The mission is to score touchdowns and stop the other team from scoring. When we have a relationship with Jesus, He gives us a mission too. The mission is to tell people about Him. Who is someone you can talk with about this great news that Jesus died for them and loves them?