The Peace Child

Last week, our small children's department put on a wonderful Christmas pageant, complete with Mary, Joseph, a rather hyperactive angel Gabriel, a grumpy innkeeper, two shepherds, two sheep, a cardboard donkey, a grandmother and her little granddaughter. It was charming to see and hear the wonderful story told by children in words and song, and everyone came away feeling closer to what God had done for us in this miracle. We laughed at the littliest wise man trying to say 'frankensence' and at the smallest sheep's disasterous encounter with the cardboard donkey, but we also had tears in our eyes as one little girl sang 'Silent Night' and as Mary and Joseph sang 'Away in the Manger' with the angel Gabriel. What a blessing! We are fortunate to have had this story told to us over and over each year, but sometimes in the retelling, we lose sight of the miracle that God worked that night long ago.

Recently I finished a book called 'The Peace Child', which recounts the experience of a missionary in Irian Jaya (the former Dutch New Guinea) with the cannabilistic Sawi tribe. This tribe survived only when the various bands had limited contact with each other, since their tradition was to trick, kill and eat their enemies, even within the same tribal territory. When presented with the gospel, they actually admired Judas, since he successfully tricked his friend Jesus before betraying Him. The missionary was in despair and was actually getting ready to move from their area due to their escalating warfare. The tribe, wanting to keep him there, invoked a rare ceremony, called the Peace Child, where a cherished infant from each band was given away to the other band to serve as the link that would stop war. As long as the peace child lived....there was peace between the bands. The missionary, overcome with what he had seen, immediately told them of the Peace Child that God had sent many years before. This Peace Child links all God's children, taking away the need for war and hatred amoung God's children. This Peace Child will never die, but lives today, just like He did in that stable 2000 years ago, to restore us to God. The Sawi tribe was overwhelmed with what they now understood of God's love for them. After a millenium of warfare, hatred, trickery and death, God's light had come into their world. May your hearts this Christmas understand as well what God's Peace Child means for you.
Merry Christmas!