My kids typically sleep in a little more than most. And that has been a blessing in a few different ways. Especially at Christmas time.

We homeschool our kids, and because of that, we can begin our day on a little different schedule than many families. That enables us to allow them to stay up a little later than some, and it results in the fact that they sleep in a little later than many kids do.

That’s a fact that my wife and I enjoy, especially at Christmas time. I’m typically an early riser, and most of the time, I am in my office at the church before most of our kids are even awake. More often than not, even my wife is still snatching the opportunity to sleep a little more before the day’s chaos begins.

But at Christmas, I don’t head off to the office, I stay at home. I’m still up early. I shower and dress, and then I sit down with a cup of coffee and my Bible.

It’s quiet. It’s almost eerily quiet. I know that, soon enough, everyone will be awake, and then it will become crazy around our home while we begin the Christmas festivities and traditions that we enjoy.

But for a time, I enjoy the peace and quiet.

It reminds me of another time of silence. The people of Israel had, for centuries, been in a cycle of faithfulness, which eventually led to rebellion, followed by oppression, resulting in repentance and a return to faithfulness. This had gone on from the time of the Exodus all the way through to the periods of exile to Assyria and Babylon.

And then… Silence.

For more than four hundred years, it seemed as if God wasn’t speaking to the Israelites any longer. The last of the prophets had spoken centuries earlier, and nothing had been heard since then.

Had God actually been completely silent? I have a hard time really believing that. I suspect that people could see God’s presence in the little day to day blessings that they experienced, much like we can today. If God had actually shut down all communication with his people, what kept them going for those four centuries?

I suspect he still was visible to those who were looking, and could be seen in little things. I can see this in the expectation of Zechariah as he served in the temple as a priest (Luke 1:5-23). He performed his duties as a priest with the expectation that God was pleased with their worship. Had his attitude been wrong, I’m not sure God would have chosen him to be the father of John the Baptist.

But as far as the nation goes, God had been silent. No word had been heard from him to his people. It was quiet. Almost eerily quiet.

Until God spoke to Zechariah, and then, a few months later, the silence was shattered by a baby’s cry. The peaceful scene we imagine in that stable in Bethlehem was probably anything but peaceful. Babies aren’t typically know to be overly peaceful, unless they’re sleeping.

No, their peace and quiet was replaced with chaos and craziness as they struggled to learn how to be new parents.

But their peace and quiet was also replaced with another peace… a greater peace.

In Luke 2, we read of the angels making the announcement of this spectacular birth to some shepherds who were watching their sheep in the field near Bethlehem. Listen to part of what they said to these shepherds:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, ESV)

My kids eventually wake up on Christmas morning. My peace and quiet is shattered. We begin the process of driving them nuts by making them wait until after we eat breakfast together, and read some of the Nativity story together, before we allow the chaos of Christmas morning to begin.

But even then, the peace that Christ accomplished pervades even the noisiest of homes. The silence may not last as long as we might like….

But the peace does.

Question: What do you think of when you think of peace and quiet? What do you think of when you think of peace on earth? You can leave a comment by clicking here.