Guest Contributor: Leah Christensen
Ah…the Christmas season. Somewhere between the quest to find a gift for that one person who insists they “don’t need anything” (but will definitely have opinions about whatever you choose), and circling the mall parking lot like it’s a competitive sport, the holidays have a magical way of turning ‘peace on earth’ into ‘please, I beg you, just five minutes of quiet.’ So, this season I’ve been looking for those rare moments to pause—those small pockets of peace—to reset from the chaos. In that pursuit, God reminded me that peace isn’t circumstantially dependent; it’s much bigger than that. Peace is his promise to humankind—a promise given in the person of Jesus Christ.
If you had to illustrate peace on earth to someone, how would you describe it? I find that images often speak when words fall short. The artwork below, created by my friend and gifted artist Hilde Friesen, is her depiction of the original Christmas gift—peace coming from heaven to earth. It portrays the Father giving His only Son to the world. The painting, titled At the Right Time, was inspired by the Christmas story in Luke 1–2. One passage in particular shaped this image, Luke 1:78–79: “…because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (italics mine).
When I first saw this painting and read Hilde’s explanation of the symbolism within it, it gripped my heart. She explains: “God is handing his infant child to our world filled with evil. Christ is the rising sun. The (navy) blue represents royalty. The next layer of blue represents the glory of God and the angels. The dark area at the bottom is, of course, the evil world—the three crosses, the crown of thorns, etc. The orange flames represent the saints, filled with the Holy Spirit, who have been waiting for decades and centuries for the Messiah.”
This painting speaks volumes, but what moved me most was the contrast of the spotless perfection of heaven given to the dark, brokenness of earth. The Father brought his perfect son, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) to this lost, fallen world so that we could know peace. He gave Christ for all of us, even for those who would reject and despise him. Ephesians 2:17 says, “So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” We did nothing to deserve this gift, yet God freely offered because he knew that peace could only come through Christ himself.
So, as you move through the busyness of this holiday season, you’ll likely encounter moments that feel anything but peaceful. Perhaps this artwork will linger in your mind and remind you that your peace is not determined by your circumstances, but is a gift given available to everyone through Christ Jesus.
May you go in peace this Christmas season.
