Week Four:
P R I N C E   O F   P E A C E

Devotions written by Mikel Porter

Monday
Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:1-22

“Chaos” is a good word to describe what was going on the night of Jesus’ birth. Bethlehem was a crowded town full of travelers who had been on the road for days. People were tired, stinky and certainly cranky. Mary and Joseph couldn’t find an open room anywhere. We don’t know if Mary was in labor yet or if she was graced with one of those amazing two-hour labor experiences, but we know any mother who is full-term and had been traveling on a donkey’s back for any amount of time must have been beyond the point of kind and gracious. (If she was in labor and having pain, then that adds a whole new level to the chaos as they tried to find a place to stay). Mary and Joseph were exhausted, stressed, and desperate for rest and quiet. When they were finally able to find a place to sit down and rest their bodies, it certainly wasn’t ideal. They found shelter in a stable filled with straw, animals, and the absence of comforts found in their home. But in the midst of the crowds, the stress, and the stink, Jesus was born. Peace was literally birthed into an atmosphere of chaos. Jesus’ entrance certainly didn’t cause the world to grow calm or quiet, but his birth was the beginning of things being put back together. For it was the birth not of any ordinary baby, but of the Prince of Peace.