Actually, there were two more questions.

I just don't understand.

You still feel as happy as your fellow attendants.

You need involvement.

You need to get involved with some real process.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

Man, it's so good to see you here.

So, a few years ago, and we're going back a few now, I read a story, supposedly a true story of something that happened on a very special Christmas Eve.

And I really wanted to talk about it for probably the last 10 Christmases.

The reason I didn't, it's one of those stories you wonder, it's too good to be true?

And if it's too good to be true, sometimes or oftentimes it is.

So I thought, okay, I can't do this yet.

Because if I talk about this and then it turns out that it's just an urban legend, then they're never going to trust me again.

That's a constant struggle of the pastor.

You hear great stories and you really want to get them out there.

But if you do, and it turns out it's false, then you won't believe a thing I say after that.

But this was a good one.

So I decided I'd just keep reading.

This story's been around forever.

And I would keep kind of, because new information's coming out all the time.

We're finding more and more discovery in history.

It's just the way history works.

You've probably read the book or seen the movie, and it's called Christmas Truce.

And evidently, when the countries of Europe went to war in the summer of 1914, they did so thinking, believing, that the war would be over by Christmas that year, December 25th.

But during World War I, Hundreds of thousands of soldiers died in heavy fighting in just a few months.

And the war was not decreasing, it was intensifying.

The German advance, and remember you have two conflicting world views here, had been checked at a place called the Marne, and then the race to the sea between German and the Allies played out in a place called...

Épreuve, okay?

The French never know how to spell anything, but...

The result of all this was a stalemate, and the front stretched all the way from the Swiss border to the North Sea.

So that by December 1914, trench warfare had set in.

So you had two armies facing each other.

And along this front, this no man's land in between the trenches, only 50 yards of separation.

50 yards.

And then as winter approached, you just had all this rain and this mud, and it became a miserable situation where it was kind of a stalemate.

Each side not knowing exactly what to do.

When that happened...

Pope Benedict XV, who had ascended to the papacy, I guess only a month or two after the war had begun, decided he would take advantage of this kind of stalemate.

And on December 7th, he issued an appeal to the leaders of Europe.

And I quote, that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.

So he's saying, I know we're in this war.

It's a bloody battle.

There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers dying.

But maybe on the day that the angels sang.

Hark the herald angels sing, maybe there could be peace.

And actually we discover later that the Pope's hope was that while there was this stalemate, that the powers that be in the upper echelons would somehow get to the table and develop a truce that would last.

There was a little interest from leaders on either side, but it didn't stop the soldiers who were on ground level.

from seizing the initiative and we're told that as December 25 approached the rains came down, there was more and more snow, the battlefields were blanketed with snow, with sleet, with hail, with mud, that because there was no fighting because you were not able to fight, the German Emperor William II contributed to the holiday atmosphere by sending his soldiers tantam bombs.

Not tantam bombs, BALMS, which are Christmas trees.

He sent them to the front lines to bolster the German soldiers.

And because they weren't fighting, they decided they would go ahead and plant the trees outside the ditch.

And they put up Christmas trees and started to decorate them.

On December 23rd, German soldiers began surrounding these trees they had decorated and singing songs.

When I think about it, you're 50 yards away from people you've been killing, and suddenly you decide to step out of the trenches, decorate the trees, and they started singing songs like Stilt Nacht, Silent Night.

And then when the Allied voices, when the Allied heard the voices of the German soldiers singing a song they could understand the tune, maybe not the words, they decided they would leave their trenches and start singing their own Christmas carols.

By Christmas Eve, Some of the lower ranking British officers had begun ordering their men not to fire unless fired upon.

And the policy became known as the live and let live policy.

And it would actually go on to be adopted on an ad hoc basis throughout the entire war.

Like all implementations, the live and let live decisions were not made by the officers at the top, but those who were on ground zero, ground level.

And so, it is true.

Two armies that have been murdering, slaughtering, hated each other.

As Christmas Eve came, December 24th, started singing songs, decorating trees, and then, let me read the rest of it to you.

As morning broke on Christmas Day, German soldiers emerged from the trenches, waving their arms to demonstrate they had no ill intent.

When it became clear that they were not carrying weapons, British soldiers soon joined them, meeting in no man's land to socialize and exchange gifts.

British soldiers wrote of playing football, soccer, and sharing food and drink with men who had been just a day earlier their mortal enemies.

These accounts stress that the men themselves could scarcely believe the remarkable events that were transpiring around them and that they recognized Even in the moment, their unique and historic significance.

Now, you can understand why when stories like this start circulating, there's a little bit of doubt going on here.

Really?

Guys that are slaughtering, murdering, hating each other, two different cultures, two different worldviews, suddenly just because it's Christmas, decorate trees, sing songs.

I mean, if you read some of these stories, they actually played a soccer game together.

Do you know?

I mean, you can't fight, but you can play.

What happened?

How is that possible?

That people you had been, your worst enemies, suddenly, just like that, there's not only a ceasefire, but kind of an unwritten, unspoken truce that for 24 hours, you're going to be friends, that war will stop.

that peace will rule the land.

Come on.

How is that possible?

See, you can't give an atheistic evolution respond to that.

You can't say that, you know, because that's not how it works.

I mean, it's survival of the fittest.

I got to kill my enemy so I can survive.

Got to be something else.

What's going on deep in the heart of a man in that moment?

Peace.

Why did it come?

And why didn't it last?

When I read the first Christmas story, in Luke chapter 2, we're told that when the angels visited the shepherds, one of the first things they said to them, verse 10, don't be afraid.

Evidently, if you're not used to seeing angels, they're scary.

So don't be afraid.

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you.

He is the Messiah, the Lord.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men.

Peace and goodwill toward men?

Have we ever had peace?

I mean, this is written, this story happens in the Middle East.

Has there ever been peace in the Middle East?

I hear this quoted all of the time.

This is, rejoice, today in the town of David, a Savior's been born.

By the way, peace and goodwill to men.

Where's the peace?

In fact, if you look at the entire Christmas story, and if you've been with me for the last 16 years, you'll know that we've covered one or more of these at some point.

Most scholars believe Mary was between the age of 13 and 15 when she got engaged to Joseph.

You notice you don't read anything of Mary's parents?

Scholars believe she was part of a community called the Enewin community, a community of young girls.

who are orphans, who live around the temple in order that they may have food and clothing to survive.

She's impoverished.

They believe that because when Mary writes her song of celebration after she learns she's carrying the Christ child, her language is straight out of Psalm.

The Anoim community, the music of the Anoim, the impoverished, the humble.

Her life must have been looking up.

Because she's met Joseph, and Joseph, we're told, is a tzaddik.

He's a righteous man.

He's got a place in the temple, the tabernacle, the house of the Lord.

Can you imagine how his life would have changed?

When he goes to the elders, think about it.

You're a pastor.

What would you do if I came to you and said, like, I've got to tell you something?

And let's say I'm not married.

I've got a girlfriend.

My girlfriend's pregnant, and it belongs to God.

I don't think I'd be the pastor next week.

Joseph going to the elders and saying, yeah, you know, Mary, we've been, you know, she caught my eye, we're betrothed, and you know, I gotta tell you, she's pregnant, but I have nothing to do with it, it's God's.

You notice you don't hear of Joseph anymore after the Christmas story.

You know that?

Like he disappears.

It's plausible to assume he lost everything.

It's plausible to assume that Mary and Joseph would have been ridiculed for this story.

And then you've got the wise men who are traveling probably from Babylon all the way to Bethlehem.

And yeah, they're on a great journey.

They're following the Bethlehem star or whatever the Bethlehem star is.

But their journey would have been fraught with peril.

In fact, Herod wants to kill them, wants to find them, lies to them.

And by the way, speaking of Herod, talk about conflict.

What does he do?

He kills every baby boy two years and under.

The whole Christmas story is nothing but conflict, nothing but war.

Where's the peace?

And then there's this guy that we meet called Simeon that we seldom talk about because Simeon shows up at the temple.

Probably 40 plus days after Jesus has been born and Mary and Joseph are in the house and now they go to the temple to participate in the celebration or the dedication ceremony.

And this guy Simeon, I mean, shows up out of nowhere and talks to Mary.

And in chapter 2, verse 34, then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.

So this guy shows up and tells Mary, man, your life's about to get really bad, really tough.

Conflict is everywhere in the Christmas.

Where is the peace?

Okay, and then there's just life.

Don't you think that our lives are...

Now look, this is only a 20-minute sermon, so you can deal with it.

See, having told you that, I got you now.

Okay, isn't it true that all of us fight chronic discontentment?

I mean, no matter how good something is, isn't it true that we think it should be better still?

Isn't it true that none of us in here think, oh, if I lined everybody up and we're going to have hot chocolate afterwards, and I said, tell me, is your life perfect?

Who would say yes?

There's always something that could be better.

I often use the example, I love my wife.

I have a great marriage.

I really do.

But there is a love that my wife can never give me.

And there is a love I cannot give her.

As good as marriage is.

There's still something missing.

Hey, you know, when you're younger, your attitude is life is an opportunity.

When you're older, it's life is exhausting.

I'm tired.

When you're young, you want to be around people.

When you're older, you don't want to be around people.

They're too hard.

And then there's this thing about inside us.

We know.

Something is missing?

Now the Bible explains that as sin?

Sin has tainted everything, so there's a taintedness to everything no matter how good it is.

You know, I don't know if you want your personality, but if it's like mine, I have a hard time even enjoying vacation.

And the reason is because it takes me three days to unwind.

By the time I unwind, it's almost time to go home.

So I think, why even go?

See, who is it that said, All good things must end.

And why didn't somebody stand up and say why?

Who stands who?

No matter how good the experience, I love to travel, but when you travel, it's always, there's danger involved.

No matter how good any experience is, there's always something just around the corner that just puts a damper into it.

I love the ocean.

I love hiking.

I love nature.

But there's a danger to nature, isn't there?

It could kill you.

Life, as enjoyable as it is, has all kinds of challenges.

And this discontent that we live with, we don't want to, but this thing, we always wish things were better.

Why?

Why do we think things should be better?

Have you ever asked yourself that?

I mean, why do you assume your life should be better?

And then there's injustice all around the world.

And you just read it and you hear about it.

But to be angry at injustice means that you think the world should have justice in it.

Why?

Why?

There's not a lot of justice in this world, is there?

You think there's fairness and justice in this world?

But why do you think there should be?

And why do you think people shouldn't get sick and die?

And why do you think love should last?

You know, during World War II, there was a radio show that came out of a place called Radio Salon, which is now Radio Sri Lanka.

And for the longest time during World War II, I mean, this is back in the days of radio, there was a popular program narrated by an American by the name of Ed Ames.

And all over Asia, large pool to pull from, you would write in your request.

And on Saturday...

On Radio Salon, now Radio Sri Lanka, they would play the 10 most popular songs for almost every Saturday for years during the Second World War.

The same song was the most popular song and it was a song called Who Will Answer?

And part of the lyrics go like this.

From the canyons of the mind, we wander on and stumble blind, wade through the often tangled maze of starless nights and sunless days, hoping for some kind of clue, a road to lead us to the truth, but who will answer?

Side by side, two people stand, together vowing hand in hand, that love is embedded in their hearts, but soon an empty feeling starts, to overwhelm their hollow lives, but if they ask the hows and whys, who will answer?

This was the number one chosen song for weeks and weeks and months, if not years.

It's a sad song because it asks this question.

How is it that two people can stand side by side at a wedding ceremony and just promise their allegiance and their love and just maybe months, years, who knows how much later everything is broken?

Because down deep inside, we also have this sense that we want a love that will last.

But why?

Why do we think in the human experience, why do we think that it is good that love, a love that lasts is a good thing, or that we should experience a love that lasts?

Why?

What do we mean when we say time flies?

I mean, it's going the same speed all the time.

Doesn't speed up, doesn't slow down.

But it's right.

The older you get, it does go by fast.

But why do we think it should be different?

All of these, the answer to all of these questions is the same.

And it's this, that in the heart of every man and woman, no matter if they're religious or not religious, no matter what philosophy or anti-philosophy, atheist, Christian, agnostic, no matter who you are, inside you, you know things are not the way they ought to be.

And you've got to ask why.

Why do you feel that way?

Especially if you're the result of time plus matter plus chance.

Why do you feel?

Why is there discontent?

Why do you think things should be different?

Why do you think things should be better?

Now, it's true that C.S.

Lewis helps us somewhat with this problem.

He says, if I'm only the product of the material world, why do I not feel at home here?

If I'm only material, why do I feel not at ease in a material world?

Then he says, if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

Okay, then.

So how does Christmas change all this?

What does Christmas do to deal with chronic discontent, with relational schism, with internal frustration?

How does the birth of Jesus bring peace and goodwill?

You know, I remember reading a book years ago, and fascinating book, little book, but fascinating.

The question was asked, why is it that we have all these artifacts?

and things left over by famous people in archaeological digs, but we got nothing of Jesus.

If he's so famous, why can't we go to Nazareth and say, hey, this is where Jesus lived.

This is his house.

We've unearthed it.

Why have we not found Jesus'carpenter shop?

Look at Jesus.

This is where Jesus made his wooden toys.

Look, he made this little toy car.

And we know because it has Jesus on the back of it.

Why is there no, you know, wouldn't it be cool if there was a Jesus Museum or theme park?

You could have the turn the water into wine tasting experience.

You could have the, you could walk on water ride.

Oh, that would be cool.

Hoverboard, you know, just get your ride across.

Or you could do the, you buy one fish, get 5,000 free.

That would, whoo, right?

Or how about the comeback from the dead horror house?

But the author in this little book gives you the answer at the end because he said, of course you're going to find nothing because God doesn't want you to think for one moment that Jesus'home is here.

He came from another place.

This is Christmas.

One of my favorite Christmas songs, Mary, Did You Know?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Oh, now we're getting serious.

Verse 2, Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God.

Now you know.

This is Christmas.

Emmanuel, God with us.

Rather than take us out of here, which he one day will, he came down here to show you and me that up there is real.

That that sense of beyond in you that desires things, that you don't know why, that discontent in you is just a foreshadowing.

Of the reality that what you're waiting for is real, exists.

And when you come to the Christ, child, you're coming to eternity.

That all the things that God placed in you, the discontent, yeah, from God.

That no matter how enjoyable any experience is, it's still lacking something.

That the thing you most want, a love that never ends.

experience filled with perpetual wonder that never ends, a vacation that never ends.

All the things that your heart desires that you know down deep inside should be real, and you keep trying to find them, can only be discovered in the face of God.

That's where the peace, there's two kinds of peace, and this is the peace the angel talks about.

This is the end.

subjective peace and objective peace.

Objective peace is a legal type standing before God.

So how does Jesus give me objective peace?

Because the Bible tells us the reason he came is to take your sins and my sins on his shoulders and to die on the cross so that when God sees you and God sees me, he doesn't see our sin.

He sees the blood of his son, the sacrifice, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

and all who would humble themselves and come to Christ and say, I am a sinner.

will be forgiven and you are objectively at peace with God.

Because in order for you and me to have fellowship with God, our sin has to be dealt with.

Down deep inside, you know that.

And Jesus came and dealt with it so that all who call on his name shall be saved.

That's objective peace.

But then there's a subjective peace, the filling of peace.

And that only comes when you began to understand that eternity is real and that Christ came to show you that that place you know down deep inside exists, does indeed exist.

And whatever it is that you face in this life, whatever it is, he didn't come to strip us out of here.

He came instead to show us that up there, that place you are suspicious about, that you have a suspicion that Israel is real, and the time will come when the cosmic king will return, and whatever has been lost in this life will be returned and replaced to an infinitely greater degree.

The reason it's important for God to come down on Christmas is so that you and I will know that that place...

that you know down deep inside is real, is indeed real.

You know, when I originally wrote this, I thought, I'll stop here, and then I couldn't because of what happened to this family.

If you can't apply something like this into everyday life, then what good is it?

Did you hear about the family in West Covina?

When Robin and I first...

Came here in 2008.

We lived in this little community.

Same community our friends, the McMahons live in now.

The Reynolds also live there.

There's a family.

Not going to be a great Christmas for them.

Their dog mauled their six-year-old daughter.

Family dog.

Been in the family.

No problems previously.

And suddenly...

The father and the little girl were out playing in the yard and the dog turned on the girl and killed her.

And imagine being the father trying to jump on this dog and save the life of your daughter.

Where is the piece of Christmas for him?

You know, again, as you get older, you realize.

I used to wonder, why do Californians not like Christmas?

Because, you know, from the South, Christmas is a huge deal.

But I remember it seemed like for the first 10 years here, I would come out to preach in the first of December.

We're starting a Christmas series and everybody go.

And then as you get older, you realize there's a lot of pain at Christmas.

People who have lost people that they love, that Christmas just brings it all up again.

Conflict within families, it all comes up.

Now, see, all the rest of you, you don't have to deal with them, but now you got to deal with them because they're going to be there for dinner.

My father was never the same after my mother died.

Strong Christian man, but he was never the same after mom died.

He loved Christmas.

My dad loved Christmas.

I mean, he was like Clark Griswold going out and getting the Christmas tree.

That was my dad, forgetting to bring the saw, having to uproot it and haul it home in the back of the truck, and then putting it in the house.

And it's far too big, and it explodes into everything.

One year, my father said, you know what?

I think families ought to have a dog at Christmas.

He went out and got a dog just for Christmas.

My mother never forgave him for that.

But the point I'm making is, my dad did make his peace, but he only made his peace because he knew that that sense of beyond that he had been suspicious about all of his life was real, that my mother was with Jesus.

The only way this family is going to survive, and I wish I could speak to them, I wish somebody knew them, that I could get an audience to encourage.

and to say that i have no idea what you're going through i got i can't possibly understand it but i can't tell you what i do know come to christ and you will be rejoined with your daughter and this separation is only temporary as c.s lewis says again in the chronicles of narnia he describes death as Only the beginning of the real story, all their life in this world, and all their adventures had only been the cover of the title page.

Now at last they were beginning chapter one of the great story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, and which every chapter is better than the one before.

The reason there was a Christmas truce is because deep down inside, if somewhere of all those men, they knew it shouldn't be like this.

There should be peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

And for a moment, up there came down here and won the day.

But one day, everything up there will take the place of everything down here.

And anything that we've lost, Christ has come to show you beyond is real and all those desires in your heart and all that discontentment will one day be completely filled in the knowledge and the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord.

That is Christmas.

Father, I thank you for, I love Christmas.

We love Christmas.

I pray that every person in this room has a Merry Christmas, even in the midst of great conflict, even in the midst of frustration, that they would remember this Christmas.

The ultimate love came down to show us that the cosmic king is real.

The cosmic kingdom is real.

and the deepest desires of our heart are real and will be filled in the kingdom that is our Savior, that is our Christ, Messiah.

We praise His name, and we look upon His face.

We behold the cosmic King.

In Christ's name, amen.

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Let's go as we always do with one hope, one life in Christ.