Peace

As Christmas approaches, Pastor Dave invited the church to think about gifts—not just the ones we’re buying, but the ones we’re hoping for. We spend a lot of time this season trying to guess what people want, wishing we could give something truly useful, something that actually lasts. And beneath all the lists and wishes, he named the quiet desire most of us carry, whether we say it out loud or not: peace.

Not surface-level calm or temporary relief, but real peace—the kind that settles restless nights and steadies anxious hearts. Because we’ve all learned the same truth: money can fill a wallet and still leave a mind racing. Relationships can exist and still feel tense. Our world is loud, divided, and heavy with conflict. What we need isn’t more control over our circumstances—we need peace that holds when life doesn’t.

That’s why Scripture speaks about peace so relentlessly. Angels announce it. Jesus blesses people with it. Paul prays it over the church again and again. Peace is not a side benefit of faith; it is one of God’s central promises. And in Advent, Pastor Dave reminded us, peace is not an idea—it is a person. Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Turning to Isaiah, Pastor Dave brought us into a moment of fear and uncertainty in Israel’s story—a time when danger was coming and nothing felt secure. And into that moment, God promised something astonishing: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Not fragile peace. Not momentary peace. Shalom, shalom—whole peace, complete peace, peace that comes from God Himself.

But Pastor Dave didn’t stop at the promise; he asked the harder question: Why does peace feel so inconsistent for so many of us? Why do calm moments vanish so quickly? Why does anxiety return even after prayer? Pastor Dave pointed us to the real battleground of peace—not our circumstances, but our focus. Peace doesn’t begin with what’s happening around us. It begins with what we’re fixing our minds on.

Isaiah’s promise is given to those whose minds are steadfast—leaning fully on God, resting their weight on His truth. Peace grows not from knowing about God, but from trusting Him. Not from information, but from relationship. When our thoughts are anchored in His promises rather than pulled by fear, God’s peace takes root.

Paul echoes this same invitation in Philippians, urging believers to dwell on what is true, noble, pure, and praiseworthy. When our minds are formed by God’s truth, the peace of God follows—not as a feeling we chase, but as a presence that guards us.

The message closed by lifting our eyes back to Christmas itself. Peace does not arrive as a concept or a philosophy. Peace arrives as a child—Emmanuel, God with us. A peace the world cannot create and cannot destroy. A peace that remains even when life is uncertain, finances are tight, relationships are strained, or fear presses in.

This Advent, Pastor Dave invited the church to receive the gift we need most. Not something we earn or figure out, but Someone who comes near. As the season grows busier, the call is simple and challenging: fix your mind on Him. Rest your weight on His promises. And trust that the God who came to us is still holding us in shalom, shalom—perfect peace.