A Prayer of Yearning:

Come into our hearts, Emmanuel. Fill us with joy at your very presence in our lives. Allow us to gaze upon you with wonder, as you appear to us again, a baby in a manger. May we hear the angels sing their most holy song: Peace on earth. Amen.

Reading: Luke 2:8-14

8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors!”

Meditation:

I usually change that last line. It’s probably wrong on some level, but I am far from alone. I usually make it “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace.” So it’s not so much changed, really, as truncated.
The Christmas songs change it too. “Peace on earth; goodwill to men”—you’ll hear that. You’ll hear a lot of “peace on earth,” but not so much that last part: “…among those whom God favors.”
I’d like to say it’s a mistranslation, but the Greek really says “among men in whom God is pleased.”
No matter. That last part is redundant anyway. If we are at peace with one another, then God is pleased. If we’re pleasing God, by living in harmony with our neighbors far and near, then there will be goodwill among human beings.
The promise of peace has been lifted up before every generation. And every generation has found ways to fulfill the promise, and to break it. As we celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth, let us dedicate ourselves wholly to bring the promise to fruition: “Peace on earth; goodwill to all.”

A Prayer of Hope:

God of all love,
The promise of peace is possible through your divine will. Teach us to live out the promise in all that we do—to work for peace between the nations, and to strive for constant peace within our hearts. We long to please you, and know that it is a simple task. We lean on the love and teaching of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is for us the one of peace. Amen