One of the coolest Christmas stories I’ve ever read about was the Christmas Truce of World War I. On Christmas Day in 1914 on the Western front if the war, some German soldiers climbed out of their foxholes unarmed and approached the British lines calling out, “Merry Christmas!” After realizing it wasn’t a trick, the British soldiers climbed out of their foxholes and shook hands with their enemy. In many places they began to sing Christmas carols, Exchange cigarettes and food. Some even played a game of soccer. German Lieutenant Zehmisch said, “Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.” The next day, the picked up arms again and went back to war.
Since Adam and Eve sinned, there had been hostility between God and man. We had rejected His rule over our lives and decided we had a better way. He established a temporary covenant with Moses through the Law to make peace between us. Hiwever, we kept breaking that peace by going back on our word. In Isaiah 9:6, God announced that a child would be born who would be the Prince of Peace. He would be the one to restore the peace between us. Then, on the night Jesus was born, the angel appeared to the shepherds in the Bethlehem field saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill towards men” (KJV). God, in essence, came out of His foxhole, approached us saying, “Merry Christmas!” The difference was, this wasn’t to be a temporary cease fire. God was trying to establish true peace between us.
Ephesians 2 describes how God was trying to establish true peace with us. Verse 17 summarizes it, “For the Messiah has come to preach this sweet message of peace to you, the ones who were distant, and to those who are near” (TPT). No matter how far away from God you are, He wants to establish peace with you. In John 14:27 Jesus, the Messiah, said, “I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace.“ We only know temporary peace here on this earth, but God desires to create eternal peace with us through His son. When we accept Him as our Savior, we can have that peace that surpasses understanding even while the world around us is in chaos. True peace can be ours, but it’s only found in Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 
There’s a version of Christmas Truce of 1914 story that says the soldiers involved (on both sides) had to be reassigned to other areas on the front, as they were no longer willing to fight one another.
I’ve heard that too. There was another type of informal truce in 1915, but by 1916, no temporary truces were permitted by either side. Our peace is on temporary, but the peace He gives is everlasting.
Thanks and have a great day!
I love that illustration, God, in essence, came out of his foxhole, to say Merry Christmas.
He gave us the greatest gift, we just need to lay our weapons down and get out of our foxhole to except his gift!
I love that illustration, God, in essence, came out of his foxhole, to say Merry Christmas.
He gave us the greatest gift, we just need to lay our weapons down and get out of our foxhole to except his gift!
That’s exactly it! Thanks for laying it out so clearly.
Love this story!💕
Thanks. Me too.