Peace Came Down
Summary of Sermon: Peace Came Down
Series: Heaven Came Down – Week 1 | Pastor Torry Sheppard
Introduction
Pastor Torry opens the Advent season by naming the tension we all feel: December often promises peace but delivers pressure. Between busy schedules, financial stress, family dynamics, and private grief, many enter Christmas longing not for a holiday but for relief. Yet the heart of Advent is not escaping chaos—it’s intentionally preparing our hearts to encounter Jesus. This year’s theme, Heaven Came Down, reminds us that when humanity couldn’t reach God, God came to us. The message explores the surprising truth that peace isn’t a product of perfect conditions, but the presence of a Person.
Peace in the Most Unlikely Places
Pastor Torry revisits the nativity story—not the sanitized version on Christmas cards, but the gritty, historically grounded reality. Mary, exhausted and full-term, travels miles on a donkey only to give birth in the dirt lower room of a crowded home. The “manger scene” was not calm or serene; it was chaotic, painful, and humiliating. Yet this is where the Prince of Peace chose to enter the world. The point: peace is not the absence of struggle. Peace is God choosing to step into our struggle. Jesus’ birth declares that peace isn’t found once life settles down—peace finds us in the mess.
Why We Still Don’t Feel Peace
Even with faith, many wonder why they still feel anxious, overwhelmed, or fearful. Pastor Torry explains that our lack of peace often comes from seeking outside-in transformation—waiting for circumstances to calm before our hearts can rest. But Jesus offers inside-out peace. Drawing from Augustine’s idea of the “tranquility of order,” he teaches that peace begins when Christ orders the heart: God first, people next, purpose next, everything else beneath. When comfort, control, approval, or success climb into the wrong place, peace unravels. But as Jesus restores order, the internal chaos settles even if external life does not. Peace, then, is not the absence of trouble—it is a rightly ordered heart anchored in Christ.
Becoming Peacemakers
Pastor Torry shows that the peace Jesus gives is never meant to stay contained—it flows through God’s people. Jesus calls peacemakers “sons of God” because they carry the family resemblance into conflict, chaos, and relational tension. Peacemakers don’t avoid problems; they step into hard spaces with gentleness, humility, and the heart of Christ. A powerful example from Corrie Ten Boom illustrates this truth. Confronted by a former concentration camp guard who asked for forgiveness, Corrie discovered she had no strength of her own to offer it. But as she surrendered to Christ and extended her hand, she experienced a supernatural peace that enabled supernatural love. True peacemaking is impossible without the peace Jesus first works within us.
Receiving the Peace of Christ
Pastor Torry closes with a pastoral invitation. Many dismiss the peace of Christ because it feels too small for the size of their pain. But just as the Christ child started small and grew into the risen King, the peace Jesus offers may begin as a whisper—yet it is powerful enough to steady any storm. Before Jesus calms our circumstances, He reconciles us to God Himself. Peace with God is the foundation for the peace of God. The Savior who was laid in a manger now sits enthroned in glory, holding all authority, offering not a momentary feeling but a restored relationship. Pastor Torry urges the congregation to open their hearts, receive the King of Peace, and allow His presence to reorder their lives from the inside out. Heaven came down so peace could rise within us.