When we look at the world around us, there doesn’t seem to be much peace. Whether it’s in the dozens of wars going on around the world, or the fights on the streets of our own towns and cities, or even the arguments in our schools and workplaces, peace is hard to find.

So what did it mean when the angels declared to the shepherds, “peace on earth”? It wasn’t saying there was peace just at that moment, or that we should try and be nice to each other (though of course we should!), but rather, it was that through Jesus being born, living a sinless life, dying in our place, and rising from the dead — that we might experience peace withGod. That is, if we put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Saviour, we can approach God as forgiven and free. And there is no greater peace than that!