Provision of Peace
There is an old greeting throughout the history of the church that echoes the words of Jesus: “peace be with you!” The greeting is then responded with an imitation of goodwill: “and also with you!” But what does this greeting mean? What merit do these words have?We live in a world that makes promises of peace. Politicians promise peace in our land, diets promise peace with our bodies, consumerism promises peace with our life, this certain strategy promises peace in our relationships — one more (fill in the blank) will bring a peace of mind. But these promises are empty and allude to the words of the prophet Jeremiah when he said, “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. They say ‘Peace, peace’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). The promises of peace within the world are merely bandaids attempting to cover the reality of our gaping wound.
During the season of Advent we rightly recognize our impossible and horrific situation before God: because of our sin, we are enemies of God. No created thing can fix our predicament. But then we look to Jesus and we rejoice that God did not leave us in our mess. Jesus Christ, God himself, stepped into our humanness to meet our greatest need: peace with God.
Jesus’ incarnation inaugurated true peace, and all who are in Christ are now God’s own children and can finally be at peace with their Creator. During the Advent season we celebrate this rescue mission. We still live in a broken world and therefore will suffer in this life, but Christ offers us real peace in the midst of every circumstance. His very presence is our peace.
And because we now have peace with God, we can also, in Christ, have peace with one another. So when we say, “peace be with you”, we can say it with confidence knowing that we have full access to that reality in Jesus – through his life, death and resurrection. As you light the candle of Peace this week, may your heart overflow with praise like the angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest”!
Here is the guide for you to follow as you light your Advent Wreath.
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Take a moment to look at the piece. After a time of looking, it’s a good practice to narrate, or “tell back”, what you see. Notice color and composition. What medium has the artist used? What emphasis does the artist place on the scene?
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Dehydrating anything is a great push against our cultures need for instant gratification. Choose 4-5 oranges (Navel and some Cara Cara for color variation). Slice into THIN discs (1/8 inch if you can). Place these in a dehydrator or on a baking sheet in a low temp oven ~200 degrees. Bake until dry (about 4 hours in an oven, overnight in a dehydrator). String onto twine or fishing line and hang in a window for a beautiful stain-glass effect! This can be kept up all throughout the Winter months.
