But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though
thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come
forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from
of old, from everlasting.
(Micah 5:2 KJV)
Note: This is a re-post from the last two years
with some editing. I am currently in the
process of discerning about writing some additional posts looking at Jesus’
birth prophesied in the Old Testament, so there may be a few additional posts
in the coming weeks. Be watching for
some Advent sermons I developed ten years ago—they will be in an audio or video
format—there is still a bit to do on the technology end in preparation.
**Due to the need to get all the Advent posts done in a timely manner, there will be two posts next week--one on Wednesday and one on Friday.
**Due to the need to get all the Advent posts done in a timely manner, there will be two posts next week--one on Wednesday and one on Friday.
*A special time
of year is upon us—the season of Advent.
On December 3, 2017, we marked the first Sunday of Advent; this post
takes a look at the third candle. To
read the previous posts in my Advent series please see: Advent and The Candle of Hope.
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| Word Cloud creation of K. Jolly, All rights reserved. |
Peace. What is peace? Peace—is it absence of conflict or
discord? How do we define peace? Is it possible to experience peace in this
world?
Webster’s
Dictionary of 1828 defines peace like this: “In a general sense, a
state of quiet or tranquillity; freedom from disturbance or agitation;
applicable to society, to individuals, or to the temper of the mind. Freedom from war with a foreign nation;
public quiet. Freedom from internal
commotion or civil war. Freedom from
private quarrels, suits or disturbance. Freedom
from agitation or disturbance by the passions, as from fear, terror, anger,
anxiety or the like; quietness of mind; tranquillity; calmness; quiet of
conscience.”[1]
Peace, like hope, is defined differently in the Bible. In
fact, the world’s definition and the biblical definition are at odds!
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It is defined, simply, as: “completeness, soundness, welfare,
peace.”[2] Shalom is also used as a greeting, such
as: hello and good-bye.[3]
Peace in the Bible is defined
like this: “…The biblical concept of peace is
larger than that [dictionary definition] and rests heavily on the Hebrew root slm,
which means ‘to be complete’ or ‘to be sound.’
The verb conveys both a dynamic and a static meaning’ to be complete or
whole’ or ‘to live well.’….”[4]
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| Banner Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
In
Isaiah 9:6, we read and amazing prophecy about Jesus—He is the Prince of
Peace! Jesus, our Savior and Lord is
Prince of Peace! Let that sink in for a
bit… How amazing is that? {Click to Tweet}
For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6 KJV, emphasis mine)
(Isaiah 9:6 KJV, emphasis mine)
How
has Jesus allowed you to experience peace?
Salvation in Jesus brings us peace with God (there is no other way to
have peace with God). Romans 5:1 (KJV)
states: “Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” What comfort this should bring to our
hearts. We can have inner peace, even
when things around us are far from peaceful.
The world is
full of conflict and violence. Each day
the news seems to overflow with war, rumors of war, terrorism, and acts of
violence. The answer to all of this will not be found in mankind. Legislating morality is not possible! The heart is the root of all the ugliness we
see in the world today. Heart issues are
not touched by legislation (law). {Click to Tweet}
What, then, is the answer?
The answer, I
believe is not so much what as it is WHO.
Jesus is the answer! He is
Peace! He is calm, peace in a crazy
world. {Click to Tweet}
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| Word Cloud Creation of K. Jolly, All Rights Reserved. |
On the second Sunday of Advent we light
the candle of Peace (or in some traditions it is the Bethlehem Candle). The second Sunday of Advent reminds us that
in Jesus we have true HOPE and PEACE.
Hope and peace that is true and solid—so true and solid that it lasts
for all eternity.
Peace came to our violent and chaotic
world in the form of a tiny, vulnerable baby born in Bethlehem. Jesus came in such an unexpected way (despite
the prophecies) that His own people, for the most part, missed Him. Jesus brought radical ideas that really
turned the world upside down. He came
not as a warrior but as a Savior (a Suffering Servant). In His first coming, He came to establish
God’s kingdom in the hearts of the humans He created.
In His second coming, Jesus will come as a
warrior king and then establish an earthly (a new heaven and a new earth)
kingdom.
These things I
have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
(John
16:33 KJV)
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| Poinsettias at Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
Until then, we
will wait with expectation that one day we will no longer live in a world full
of hate and violence—keeping our eyes focused on the author and finisher of our
faith—Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 12:2)!
How have you experienced peace because ofJesus? {Click to Tweet}
Please do not forget your single friends, family, neighbors, or
those in your church who will be alone on Christmas Day—consider inviting them
to join with your family (no matter how simple and informal the gathering
is)—the blessings will flow both ways! Whatever you do, please do not tell them, “Oh, God is with you…” and then walk off,
ignoring their hurting heart and heart-felt desire to fellowship with others on
Christmas Day. Do not assume they want
to spend the day alone. Your family may
be the only family they will get to experience…EVER.
Please join with me in
prayer:
Lord of Peace, thank You for
coming and showing us how to live and how to treat others. We are thankful for the peace that we can
have with God through You. Help us to
prepare our hearts to welcome You anew.
Jesus, we are so lost without You—lost without HOPE or PEACE—yet with
You as our Savior and Lord, we can have HOPE and PEACE. Guide us in sharing
this HOPE and PEACE with those around us.
Thank You for making a way for us to return to the Father. Remind us to shine our light in this dark
world, so that others may discover Jesus too.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
The next candle we will be
considering is the Candle of Joy.
[1]
See http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/peace
for the full definition.
[4]
See http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/peace.html
for the full definition.
