The Boundless Peace of Christ In a Fragmented World
Thirteenth Day of Advent. Friday, December 12, 2025
Dear friends,
Imagine November 9, 1989, standing before the Berlin Wall—thick, towering, seemingly permanent. This barrier had divided families, communities, and an entire nation for a generation. Hostility was etched into every stone. Then, what many thought would never happen, the wall begins to crumble. Months pass until there is no wall at all.
This is the powerful image Paul paints in Ephesians 2. He’s addressing a world sharply divided between Jew and Gentile, where religious and ethnic barriers weren’t just social customs but felt like cosmic certainties. The dividing wall in the Jerusalem temple literally kept Gentiles out under threat of death. The separation was physical, spiritual, and absolute.
And into this fractured world, Christ came.
During Advent, we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Prince of Peace. But how often do we stop to consider the breathtaking scope of the peace He brings? Paul tells us that Christ “has made the two groups one.” The chasm between Jew and Gentile—one of the most insurmountable divisions of the ancient world—was bridged by the cross. If that wall can fall, what wall can’t?
Paul says Christ “himself is our peace” (v. 14). Not that He brings peace or teaches peace, but that He is peace. It’s not about us trying harder to get along or adopting better strategies for coexistence. The peace exists in Christ — in union with Him. His very presence eliminates hostility. It doesn’t just change our behavior; it transforms our identity, and we become “fellow citizens.” It doesn’t just end conflict; it creates a new people, a new humanity. It makes us “members of God’s household.” Its very foundations destroy and put to death what separated us from God and each other. For Paul, we are a people “becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” (2:21).
But it doesn’t stop there. Earlier, in chapter one, the apostle lays out God’s plan: “At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ — everything in heaven and on earth.” (1:10) We, the Church, are the visual image of God uniting His world. We are on display for everyone to see! When others see our divisions, they lose hope in our witness. But when they see how we heal and renew one another, they take notice and show interest.
For this Advent, let us ask ourselves:
Are we genuinely earnest in our prayers and actions in seeking healing for any divisions that may exist between other followers of Christ and us?
Are our eyes, minds, and hearts large enough for the peace of Christ to heal our families, our nation, and our world?
Do we embody the Prince of Peace so compellingly that the world stops and asks, “How is this possible? I want some of that!”
We cannot resolve every global conflict, let alone every division we face personally. But we can embody His peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding, and then let the Spirit handle the rest.
Watching and waiting with you,
