Christmas is the season of wonder, joy, and peace. It’s the time when we pause and celebrate the coming of our newborn King, Jesus. But amidst the celebration, there seems to be an abundance of chaos as well.

Perhaps our chaos is a mirror of the very first Christmas. When we look at the pages of Scripture and venture back in time to the coming of Jesus, chaos surrounded His arrival. How? In three ways.

Demanding Schedules

Right before Jesus was born, a decree was issued by Roman Emperor Augustus.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register” (Luke 2:1-3).

Imagine being Mary. You’re nine months pregnant, and you must journey to another town because Rome decides to take a census for military and tax purposes. This meant that every Jewish male had to go to the city where his father was born and record his name, occupation, property, and family.

Bethlehem was some 80 miles from Nazareth (where Joseph and Mary lived), and without the convenience of modern-day travel, it wasn’t a comfortable trip for a young girl on the verge of having a baby. Furthermore, Joseph and Mary couldn’t postpone the trip, or put it off until after the baby was born. The directive demanded an immediate response.

Sounds like Christmas today, doesn’t it? You might not be nine months pregnant, but our schedules can be frenzied and hectic. Demands push and pull from every direction. What was meant to be a season of heavenly peace can quickly become a period of out-of-control chaos.

Disrupted Plans

There is a character in the Christmas story whose name is not even mentioned. In fact, his role is not even specified. We often refer to him as “Innkeeper.” In fact, this individual is simply implied because of an incident we read in the Gospel of Luke.

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7, ESV).

No matter how demanding the schedule might be, how much your plans have been disrupted, or how much disturbing opposition you’re facing in this moment, declare Christ as your Prince of Peace.

Whether it was a true inn, a guest room, or some other form of lodging, how did Joseph and Mary know there was no room for them? Somebody must have told them, thus, the nameless, faceless role of the innkeeper. Again, imagine, you’re nine months pregnant, you’ve just traveled 80 miles, and you’re told, “There’s no room.”

What would you do in that moment? Roll your eyes? Yell at the innkeeper? Give your spouse a dirty look? Break down and cry? We don’t know what Joseph or Mary said, but we do know where they stayed: the equivalent of a stable where they laid baby Jesus in a feeding trough.

I’m confident a night with the animals wasn’t in Joseph and Mary’s plans. Simply put, their plans were disrupted.

You may not be having a baby in a stable around a bunch of smelly animals, but your plans this Christmas may have no less been disrupted. Perhaps they’ve been upset by a bad report from the doctor, a lost job, a cut in pay, a broken relationship, an unexpected setback in your church, or even the loss of a loved one.

I don’t know what the disruption looks like, but I’m sure it wasn’t in your original plans. And with that disruption, you’re probably feeling an increase in chaos.

Disturbing Opposition

After Jesus was born, a group of wise men from the East came to see this newborn King. But in their journey, they encountered a not so friendly king named Herod.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?We saw his starwhen it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:1-3, NIV).

Why would King Herod be “disturbed” about the news of this one “born king of the Jews?” Because he was paranoid that another king would dethrone him. And why would the people of Jerusalem be disturbed “with him”? Because they knew if Herod wasn’t happy, nobody was happy.

In fact, if Herod suspected you of being a rival to his power, he put you to death. That’s exactly what Herod did to his wife, mother-in-law, and three of his sons.

So, to protect his kingship and kingdom, Herod takes drastic measures.

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi” (Matthew 2:16).

That’s some disturbing opposition.

Today, you may not be facing the possibility of death, but there’s a good chance you’re facing opposition in some area of your life or ministry. It might be opposition from a family member, co-worker, church member, or even spiritually.

Regardless of what type of opposition it is, God can give you peace and protection. That’s exactly what He did for Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

So, in the chaos of Christmas, how do you lead? What do you do when encountering demanding schedules, disrupted plans, or disturbing opposition during a season that celebrates the coming of our Messiah?

Mary gives us a clue.

Luke 2:19 says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her Heart.”

Despite everything Mary went through, her response was to treasure the gift of Christmas. Through the divine gift she would experience divine peace.

In fact, “Peace” was Jesus’ name. The prophet Isaiah said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the governmentwill be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace” (9:6).

Your chaos has a name. Its name might be debt, defeat, demands, or disruption. But peace has a name as well, and His name is Jesus.

As you celebrate this Christmas, take a cue from Mary on how to navigate the unexpected and unpredictable chaos of the season. Stop, reflect, ponder, and treasure. Lean into peace so that you can lead from a place of peace.

Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow captured the power of peace in the face of chaos after years of pain and difficulty. He had lost his wife in a fire, and his son was severely wounded at war. But on Christmas Day 1864, at the age of 57, Longfellow captured these words in a poem called “Christmas Bells.” After reflecting on his pain, Longfellow turned his thoughts to God who gives perfect peace amidst the chaos:

Then peeled the bells more loud and deep;
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.

God isn’t dead in the craziness of your chaos. Peace can be yours today. Lean into His peace this Christmas, and let His peace give you the strength to lead.

No matter how demanding the schedule might be, how much your plans have been disrupted, or how much disturbing opposition you’re facing in this moment, declare Christ as your Prince of Peace.