Intersections: Where Faith Meets Life – by Bob Weathers

It might not be what you would expect from the Academy Award-winning star of the gritty film “Training Day,” but Denzel Washington knows a lot about peace.

Bob Weathers

The current issue of Reader’s Digest offers an interview of the star, and, in a world full of celebrities acting like childish divas or mindless beefcakes, Washington is refreshingly grounded, realistic, and articulate. And deeply committed to his family. None of that is surprising, for his reputation as a man of character has endeared him to a generation of Americans weary of shallow Hollywood icons.

But what might be surprising is the comfort with which he talks about his faith. Without blushing or hedging, he describes his pastor’s instructions for him to read the entire Bible, and his pride at being in the midst of his “second pass-through right now.” And he unashamedly explains that his faith impacts everything he does. “Like this conversation,” he tells the interviewer. “It’s who I am.”

So let’s see. His faith is informed by scripture, and it impacts every area of his life. So what comes next is natural. Appropriate. Expected. Here it is:

RD: How do you get through the hard times?

Washington: You have faith.

RD: What does that say to you?

Washington: It says, He’s got you covered. My faith helps me understand that circumstances don’t dictate my happiness, my inner peace.

There it is. Peace. Not from outer circumstances, but from a faith informed by scripture and lived in real life.

The heartbeat of Christmas is “Peace on earth.” God came in human skin to offer peace to all people through the suffering of his Son. The Prince of Peace. And in relationship to him, in the living and practicing of his word, we come to know, and to experience, the God of peace (Philippians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 14:33).

So if you are wrapping gifts and you are haunted by a lack of personal peace, it could be that you are distant, too distant, from the God of peace. Maybe you think you have a deep faith. But could it be that you are just, well, acting? Let this be the Christmas you experience the peace of God through Christ his Son. Merry Christmas!