But it's not just abroad. Shoppers in Nebraska, purchasing gifts for Christmas find themselves running from a rain of bullets. At a mission training center in Colorado, a gunman enters and kills two of the young adults who served there and then 70 miles away, Matthew Murray ends his vengeful spree by more shootings at a church before turning the gun on himself.

Experiencing peace can be a struggle in our homes and marriages - even in our own soul. It's a dark world - a world struggling for peace, but only finding darkness and death. The honest fact is, there's not peace in our world because there's not true peace in our hearts. As Romans teaches, "the way of peace they do not know" (Romans 3:17).

But this isn't new. In spite of all the "prettied-up" pictures around the Christmas story, it was a very brutal and dark world that infant entered. In fact, it was the prophet Isaiah who said more than 400 years earlier, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined … For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:2,6).

Jesus, God in the flesh, shined into our world to bring us peace. But in order for that peace to be realized, we must confront the darkness of our own hearts. Peace is a relational word and peace in the midst of our dark brutal world will only come through a relationship with this "Prince of Peace" that Isaiah speaks about - the child, the son - Jesus. We won't find peace in religion, good deeds, temporary treaties, new laws or New Year's resolutions to turn over a new leaf - those aren't relational, those don't bring lasting peace. They are often broken or are the very cause of the division in the first place.

Most of us know the story of Christmas, have been in it, have gone to the plays and heard the messages of the story. But in terms of the message of Christmas, for some reason, it alludes us and slips right by. We still think that there is a good God out there looking for good people - and we miss the meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is about God showing up and offering to give the human race the gift of a relationship with Him, resulting in peace and forgiveness - and it would cost us nothing. For generations, we've been trying to earn it, deserve it, jump through hoops, serve our way in, buy our way in, prove to God that He should accept us based on something we've done. And the whole time, the message of Christmas is that peace, forgiveness and a relationship with God is not for sale - it's a gift. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

We try to trade a little bit of goodness for a little peace, and a place in heaven. God says, "no, it's not for trade, not for barter, not for sale - it's for free." So the angels cried out at Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." We can't earn God's favor - it only rests on those who will receive it as a gift.

Christmas only has meaning because of Easter. This infant God-man came to our dark world for one purpose - to bring us peace through His death and resurrection. It was the only way the darkness in our hearts could be lifted, so that we could experience true peace - and it can only be received as a gift. In our world where there is no peace, may you find the peace that is offered as a gift to you through the "Prince of Peace," Jesus Christ.