“(Fill in the blank) lives matter.””Not my president.” “The mannequin challenge.” “The running man challenge.” “Make America Great Again.”- Some of the many claims and trends of 2016 America.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” -Luke 2:14 KJV, the claim declared to ancient Palestine.
These could not be more opposed. 

To the thanks of many Americans, the election is finally over with. Thankfully, political memes and posts written out of dissent have greatly decreased in social media as people turn once again to sharing mannequin challenges and puppy videos. Where there were once videos of candidates slandering one another there are once again the fast edited cooking videos we’ve all seen; making every one believe he or she is capable of creating a Christmas feast. Students begin their annual complaints against finals and end of semester grades. 2016 postmodern America is once again back to its petty, lazy, and distracted pace as it comes quickly to a close. As to what persons, places or things that will needlessly upset or become the trends of 2017 postmodern America; only time will tell.

Is there not more to humanity than pathetic trends and looking for the next thing to be wholeheartedly upset about?!

Postmodern America, which I consider myself a part of by association and appointing, is a bipolar cyber-mob. Nearly all posts are generated to some extreme form of emotion- whether anger, sorrow, or humor. Like a light switch, one laughs in tears or burns with anger as his or her feed scrolls on endlessly. Chaos is a daily normative for us.

Many are more concerned about snapping, DMing, or texting the person they want to contact rather than the person’s actual presence. Becoming angry and sharing online about the atrocities in Aleppo is more admirable than actually serving, caring for, and rehabilitating broken refugees here in America. The cyber existence has been elevated above the physical-actual one, and this is perhaps seen worst on the individual level.

Individuals demand hearing and respect in forms of “likes” and “shares”. People crave to be seen and known, but originality has become all too rare of a thing. People scroll on and on the find ideas for posts that will elevate their status. We long for something that will make us worth knowing. We do not scroll because we are content; we scroll because we are starving for truth. If we had it, we need not continue to scroll and post; for the whole world would already be following us. And we would not need to continuously post, because we would have already shown ourselves perfect.

Consider now the claims of Luke 2:14.
Many, many Christmas songs are carols have been written about this verse. This is very appropriate since, in a way, it is the first Christmas carol. However, it is my fear that, as Christians sing these songs year by year, they forget what this claim entails and the process of its fulfillment. Man is not the one who finds truth; but it is God who gloriously, radically reveals Himself, as true, to man. This is the very essence of peace on earth and Christmas itself.

Go has sent His Son to the world. As a baby. To sheperds. Under Roman rule. This is the peace of man? This is our good will? Yes, and, to His praise, it is eternally yes. The Christmas declaration of God, through His angels, comes in the most unlikely of circumstances. The messiah, according to ancient Jewish thought, was supposed to be in the exact likeness and glory of the Warrior-King David; not a baby born in a stable. Revelations of God were supposed to come to prophets and priests who were of high Jewish class; not to lowly sheperds. Peace was supposed to mean freedom from tyrannical oppression; not continued subjection to Roman rule- the very institution that would brutally crucify this baby! But to these conditions, and no other, God declares His message of peace and goodwill. And what basis does He have for doing so? 

God declares peace, because He is glorified in the highest. God, in His eternal state of glorious perfection and holiness, has graciously chosen to reveal Himself to the world through the incarnation and sending of His Son. The foundation of man’s peace is not to be found anywhere within man’s own existence. The foundation of man’s revelation of salvation is the glory of God Himself. Because God is eternally glorified in the highest, man is able to receive peace in goodwill in his lowest. 

God has definitively revealed Himself to the world through His Son.  And “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5 (ESV). He is the Peace, for through Him we may be reconciled to the Father (John 14:8-11). In Christ, God’s will towards men is good. Despite the inconsistent, ceaseless chaos of our culture, we may have eternal peace in Christ. This is all from God, in His glory; and this all results in His glory. Unlike we, who continually post for the evaluation of our existence, God, in His perfection, has sent His Son to earth once and for all.

The peace of God, in Christ, towards men, is man’s reconciliation to God. This is not a mere peace between one mortal man and another. Rather, Christ has bought peace between God, the Father and maker of of all things (Hebrews 3:4), and sinful, rebellious humanity (Romans 3:23-24). With this peace comes the promises of full resurrection and restoration of man to God. And all this is by Christ alone (John 11:25; 14:6). Without Christ, there is no ultimate peace. Without Christ, this culture will continue into its chaos. But praise be to God, peace has been brought to lowly man by God Himself. This peace is through Christ alone, and its foundation is God Himself, in all His glory. May all praise His name and find His peace this Christmas. 

Because God is eternally glorified, I still believe and cling to His peace on earth.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” -Luke 2:14 KJV.