A Christmas Message from TEAR’s CEO, Matthew Maury
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For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6-7
Praise God that we can celebrate this season the amazing news that changed the course of history... the birth of our Saviour. The arrival of the Prince of Peace.
This past year I have thought a lot about that word ‘peace’. I suppose it is because so many of the places TEAR is working the communities are yearning to find peace.
It would be an inaccurate reading of the scriptures for us to narrowly define the biblical use of ‘peace’ as simply the absence of war or some form of truce. In fact, Jesus embodied a richer definition of ‘peace’ through his ministry on earth.
The Hebrew word that is translated in Isaiah as ‘peace’ is actually the word shalom. Shalom has a much deeper meaning than the way we typically understand peace. Shalom refers to wholeness, completeness, and well-being. The declaration of Jesus as the ‘Prince of Shalom’ is good news for a creation yearning for relationships (between God, people and creation) to be made whole.
Our partners around the world are working for transformation in places burdened by the chaos of poverty and injustice. Your support is helping our work to bring the kind of peace that Jesus proclaimed. Peace in every heart, every home, every community. Peace on earth.
This Christmas, I would like to thank all of our committed supporters for your generosity and faithfulness towards our shared mission to bring peace and God’s vision of ‘shalom’ to our world.
Please join with me in prayer that this Christmas will be a season in which many will experience glimpses of the Prince of Peace in new and profound ways.
Towards Shalom!
– Matthew