Words: Ven. Canon Mark Chamberlain

The world is full of ironies. At the very time the Olympic Games are being held, violence has erupted in the United Kingdom, there is a widening conflict in the Middle East, and the Ukraine war grinds on. The Olympic values are "Excellence, Respect and Friendship", the French motto, where the games are being held, are "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" – and yet our world seems more riven by conflict today than at any time in living memory. So much for respect, friendship and peace!

Where then lies the source of the conflict? In many cases, the role of misinformation seems to play a crucial role – in wars as well as civil unrest. For example, authorities in the UK reported that there was no single organising force in the riots, but far-right influencers appeared to be driving an anti-immigration message and urging citizens to take to the streets.

At Jesus' birth the angelic influencers passed on another message to shepherds urging them to take to the streets of Bethlehem. Their message was "Glory to God on high and on earth peace among those whom he favours". This message announced good, right and true information about what God was doing through Jesus – for the peace and wellbeing of us all. The message was about a new world order, initiated by God through Jesus, which would enable the flourishing and peace of all people.

So what exactly is peace and why does it play such a central role in Christianity? Christianity says that peace is more than just a state of international affairs, the absence of conflict, or an external experience of calm. Ultimately peace is a person – the Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 9, he is called "The Prince of Peace" - the one who stands for and fully embodies peace.

Furthermore, in his life and through his death, Jesus died to set us free from sin and death. He broke every power that holds us in the thrall of evil and that subverts human flourishing. In other words, through Jesus' death on the cross, we are reconciled to God and need never shrink away from God's presence. We are accepted, loved, reconciled – we are at peace.

As well as that, Paul teaches in Ephesians 4:3 that "Jesus came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who are near". This is another layer in our understanding of peace. It is a reference to both Gentile and Jew - the 'far away' and the 'near', coming together in bonds of peace enabled by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christianity brings together otherwise disparate and even conflicting tribes, peoples, and languages.

So we are now people of peace, enlisted by God to be his influencers in the world. We will not stir up emotions and activism online as other influencers do, but rather we will seek to influence people and invite them to belong to God's kingdom of peace.

How do we do that? By embodying, as much as we are able, the peace of Christ that passes all our understanding. As we indwell our Lord Jesus Christ, we will more and more come to express the peace of Jesus to those around us. And we can work on it! Again, from Ephesians, this time from chapter 4:3, Paul says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace". We are to strive for peace, we are to "make every effort" to make peace, we are to lead others toward peace.

I close with a challenge to us all. Are we truly grateful for our peace with God, and do we strive for peace with each other? Do we invite people who have no faith to explore the glories of the gospel and ultimately experience the peace of Christ? And do we strive for right relations and not rest until there is peace and reconciliation among our sisters and brothers in Christ?

So let us be influencers – in word and in deed. Let us be people of peace.