阅读经文 

1914年圣诞周，第一次世界大战正在席卷欧洲，但在西面前线的几个据点，却完全听不到枪声和炮火声。根据报导，有大概100,000英军和德军达成一个非正式的停火协议，特别针对圣诞日当天。德军点燃蜡烛和歌唱圣诗时，英军也唱颂他们的圣诞歌曲来回应。大规模的友好互动随之在两国交界处出现了，有些人聚在一起交换圣诞礼物，其他人则即兴踢起足球来。

可悲的是，节日庆祝之后不久，双方又再次彼此为敌了。这场战争共持续了4年，战事导致数以百万计的伤亡。

以人类的战争为背景，今天的经文传达了一个既重大而又充满希望的信息。在盼望耶稣的降临时，先知以赛亚称祂为和平的君。当耶稣临到并住在我们中间时，祂拆毁了把我们与神和与彼此分隔开的仇恨的墙。祂在十字架上的牺牲是赢得和平的最终代价。

这种和平不是短暂的和平。基督所作成的工确保神所赐的福气是永恒的：祂带来的和平是“无穷尽”的。你已经认识上主永恒不变的和平了吗？

During the week of Christmas 1914, as World War I raged in Europe, guns and artillery at several points along the western front fell silent. It has been reported that roughly 100,000 British and German troops participated in informal ceasefires, especially on Christmas Day. As German soldiers lighted candles and sang Christmas hymns, the British responded by singing carols of their own. Mass fraternization in no man’s land followed, and some groups exchanged Christmas presents while others played impromptu games of soccer.

Tragically, hostilities resumed shortly after these holiday celebrations. The fighting continued for four more years, killing and maiming millions.

Against the background of humanity’s wars, our biblical passage for today comes across as both striking and hopeful. Looking forward to the coming of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah calls him the Prince of Peace. When Jesus came to live among us, he broke down the walls of hatred that separate us from God and from each other. His death on the cross was the ultimate payment for peace.

And this is not some kind of brief truce. The finished work of Christ guarantees the permanence of God’s blessing: “there will be no end” to the peace he brings. Do you know the Lord’s eternal peace?