Advent – Peace
The Second Sunday of Advent is a reminder of the Peace our God promises. But this peace is achieved only after we give up our commitment to the status quo. We need prophets to upset business-as-usual and push us to pursue flourishing for all. We need messengers that call our sins into account and beckon us towards repentance. We need provocative messengers to prepare the way for our Messiah.
01. THE CHURCH CALENDAR LEADS US THROUGH THE STORY OF JESUS.
The Christian calendar and we adhere to it as a way to follow the story of Jesus.
In Advent, we await his birth and his second coming.
On Christmas, we celebrate that God became man, and dwelt among us.
On Epiphany, we celebrate that the salvation of God is made
available to all people.In Lent, we humble ourselves in prayer and fasting like Jesus in the wilderness.
On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of our King.
In Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Church and that we have been sent to love and serve our world.
02. ADVENT PROVIDES US FOUR WEEKS TO REFLECT ON THE ARRIVAL OF OUR MESSIAH.
Ad·vent | \ ˈad-ˌvent
1: the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and anticipation
2a: the coming of Christ at the Incarnation
2b: arrival, coming
We learn to anticipate the future arrival of Christ by remembering His first arrival and reflecting on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
03. THE FALSE PEACE PROMISED TO US.
Even in that short description of Advent, it is abundantly clear that the popular notion of the holiday season is very different from that of Advent. We imagine and hope that our Christmas season will be one of peace.
The peace of the Holidays does little to actually create peace.
04. THE ARRIVAL OF OUR GOD IS AN EVENT THAT SPLITS HISTORY WIDE OPEN.
Luke 3:1-2a | In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…
Luke attaches the Gospel narrative to concrete historical events for a few specific reasons–
In order to create “an orderly account” of the life of Jesus for the followers of Jesus. (Luke 1).
He knows that history will never be the same.
In this list of regional rulers there is an underlying contrast between the Kingdoms of Man and the Kingdom of God.
“They (Rome) make a wasteland; they call it peace.”
–Tacitus, Ancient Roman Historian
Pax Romana – the peace of Rome
05. WE NEED A MADMAN IN THE DESERT TO DISRUPT OUR STATUS QUO AND TO LOOK FOR A NEW KINGDOM OF PEACE. Luke 3:3 | And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
In the Gospel according to Matthew. John the Baptist's message during this time of Pax Romana or false peace is:
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2).
Μετανοέω | metanoeō
Repent, repentance, a changing of direction
You rethink everything
John the Baptist stands as the forerunner to Jesus– preparing a people for the arrival of their King and a new Kingdom.
06. OUR SAVIOR IS A PEACEMAKER THAT MOVES INTO THE CHAOS OF OUR WORLD.
Luke 3:4-5 & Isaiah 40:1-5 | “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
The Isaiah passage comes to a people living in exile questioning when their judgment and punishment will come. The author’s words are – take comfort! Rejoice, for the God of creation is coming to make his home amongst his people. And everyone will see the goodness of God.
It is a vision of peace and abundance. It is a vision of future peace on Earth.
The peace of Christ is summarized in the Hebrew term – Shalom.
sha·lom | šā·lôm
peace, wholeness, welfare, prosperity
absence of warfare, conflict.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
– Isaiah 2:2–4.
In Advent, we are invited to reflect for four weeks on what God’s entrance into our world means.
07. AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD, WE MOVE TOWARD THE BROKENNESS OF OUR WORLD IN AN EFFORT TO REVEAL THE PEACE WE’VE COME TO KNOW.
On December 25th, 1914 there is this well-known moment called the Christmas truce… What if these leaders had actually committed to the peace they had just witnessed. Imagine the lives spared if the killing field had remained a soccer field.
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
But I also think it is a warning– that when the caroling stops, the gifts have been unwrapped, and the warm-and-fuzzies are long gone will we still be committed to the peace of Christ.
08. MOVE TOWARDS THE BROKENNESS AS A PEACEMAKER.
Like John the Baptist we point forward to the King that is coming by refusing to keep the status quo.
We move towards uncomfortable situations in love.
We have difficult conversations with family members.
We identify ways in which we can serve and love our neighbors.
We move towards the brokenness of our world knowing that our God is bringing about peace.
