Cultivating Peace This Christmas: A Pastoral Encouragement As pastors and shepherds of God’s people, we know how deeply our world longs for peace. Yet, if we are being honest with ourselves, do we really understand what it means to live in peace?  We wrestle with it constantly in our own lives and in the lives of those we counsel. But, the Christmas season offers us an opportunity to reflect on the one who is the very source of peace itself. Let’s take a moment to dive a little deeper Luke tells us that on the night Christ was born, shepherds stood under a dark sky and suddenly “the glory of the Lord shone around them.” The angel declared, “Do not be afraid… For there is born to you this day… a Savior, who is Christ the Lord… Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:8–14 NKJV). That proclamation was not poetic sentiment—it was a divine announcement that peace had taken on flesh. The Greek word eirēnē (εἰρήνη) reveals the depth of what the angels were declaring: Harmony and restored relationship—not simply the absence of conflict, but the healing of what was broken. The end of hostility, especially between God and humanity. Wholeness and