Welcome to the second week of Advent! This week we explore the theme of peace.
Day 1: Peace on Earth?
Most days, our world seems the very antithesis of peace. A quick scroll through a news app or social media site reveals the depth of the strife and unrest in our world. The ancient world was no different. Wars, rumors of war, violence, oppression, hunger, injustice- all of this plagued the ancient world as well, only without people screaming at each other on the internet. But what is peace really? Often we limit our understanding of peace to the cessation of conflict or the absence of strife. However, when we see the word peace in the Old Testament, it is the Hebrew word shalom, and this word conveys a sense of wholeness and completeness as well as the cessation of conflict and strife.
Isaiah’s world was loud and unstable- the opposite of peace-filled. Yet God gave him these words to share with the people of Judah. Read Isaiah 11:1-10 again. The word peace or shalom does not show up here, but the message God gave Isaiah describes the shalom of the coming Messiah.
The painting below is artist Mike Moyers’s depiction of Isaiah 11:1-10. What catches your eye in this art piece? What moves you? What feelings does it evoke?
How do you see the shalom of God depicted in this painting? In what ways does the coming of Jesus bring peace?
How is the shalom of God worth celebrating?
How do you need to experience God’s shalom in your life today?
Pray. Talk to God about these things. Close with a time of praise, rejoicing and celebrating that Christ’s coming brings peace.
Day 2: Celebrate! Peace
Peace. We long for it. We search for it. Yet everything in our world clamors for our attention and buzzes with constant movement and clanging noise. Where do we go to find peace? Is there a place where you feel most at peace? Where do you feel settled deep down in your soul? Take a moment and imagine that place. What is it like? How do you feel when you go there? What makes it peaceful? What does peace feel like?
My most peaceful place looks something like this: a fall morning sitting on the porch of a cabin overlooking a Rocky Mountain valley peppered with the brilliant gold of aspen trees, the gentle morning breeze tickling my face, my beagle snuggled up against me, a cup of coffee steaming in a hand-thrown ceramic mug, and my Bible and journal open on my lap. My phone is nowhere to be found, and for a blissful few hours, I can simply exist in God’s presence unencumbered by the pressures of life and breathe deeply. In this place I am recollected and put back in order again. In this place I am fully known. In this place I am made whole. Even just imagining this, my breathing slows and the tension of stress rolls from my neck, down my arms, and releases through my fingers. I realize this is an incredibly specific place. But the specificity enables me to return to this place over and over again in my mind and experience that settledness deep within my soul once more even though the mountains are physically far from me.
When is the last time you experienced the peace of God’s presence?
Let’s return again to Philippians 4:4-7. Read these words out loud. How do you see peace and celebration intersect or go together?
Take a few minutes today to dwell with God and rest in his presence. Breathe deeply, and pray this prayer, “Jesus, you are shalom.” Pray this several times connecting the words with your slow, rhythmic inhales and exhales. As you settle into God’s presence celebrate his nearness and bask in the wonder of his peace.
Day 3: Praise the Lord!
When you read a book, are you someone who likes to know how the story ends before you even read the first page? I do not like spoilers. I enjoy the suspense of a story unfolding, trying to guess what is going to happen next or solve the mystery before all is unveiled in the closing scenes of the book. However, despite my dislike of spoilers, when it comes to the Bible, I am so glad I know how the story ends. Jesus is victorious! Sin, death, pain, sorrow, disease, poverty, violence, oppression, and decay are already conquered. And one day in the future, Jesus will return, and we will experience the new creation in all its living color. This knowledge brings great comfort; however, even though we know all of this, it is all too easy to live with amnesia, embroiled in the anxiety, depression, and despair of our age as if there is no light, no hope, no peace. This is when it is helpful to go outside.
Step outside for a few minutes. Take a few deep breaths. Quiet your heart and listen. Listen long enough for the sounds of the city to fade into the background. What do you hear?
Read Psalm 148.
How is creation rejoicing and praising God around you right now?
What whispers of the new creation do you hear in creation’s song?
Psalm 148 invites us to hear every part of creation praising the Lord our Maker for his creating and sustaining work. From the angels in heaven to all the living creatures to people from all nations- all creation shouts his praise!
How is God inviting you to join your voice in this unending song today? As we hear the songs of creation this week, may they remind us of the new creation and draw our hearts to praise the Lord our Maker for his ongoing creating, sustaining work.
Day 4: “And Dreamed”
The poem and song “And Dreamed” was penned by musician and writer Michael Card. It appears in his book The Nazarene, and it is set to music on his album, Matthew: The Penultimate Question. This poem invites us to reflect on the implications of Jesus’ coming for all humanity through the lens of people Jesus encounters in the Gospels.
That night when in Judean skies
The wondrous star did shine so bright
A blind man moved while in his sleep
And dreamed that he had sight
That night when Magi traveled far
While o’er the house the star drew near
A deaf man stirred in slumber’s spell
And dreamed that he could hear
That night when safe in Joseph’s arms
The little King was held secure
A captive child smiled in her sleep
And dreamed that she was pure
That night when o’er the newborn Babe
The tender Mary rose to lean
A leper slept a happy sleep
And dreamed that he was clean
And all the while the dreamers dreamed
The Child who would redeem them
Lay weeping for the world
He would waken
That night when in the manger lay
The Son of God who came to save
A man moved in the sleep of death
And dreamed that there was no grave
How does this poem move you?
Jesus invaded the world with the shalom of God. Nothing would ever be the same again. This poem invites us to reflect on this very fact. As we continue journeying through this Advent season, let us consider the implications of Jesus’ coming in our own lives. How do you see the marks of God’s shalom in your life?
What dream is God calling you to dream? Pray. Ask God to give you a dream of his shalom in your life.
Day 5: Isaiah 35:1-10
As we continue our Advent journey together, we once again turn our attention to Sunday and our theme for next week- Joy. Imagine with me for a moment. You are standing in front of your home. Everything around you is dry, parched, and barren. Green plants and flowers are the stuff of memory. But as you are standing there, the wind changes. Something is different about this wind. Then you see it- dark, moisture laden clouds spread across the horizon. Rain is coming! Not just a pittance but inches and inches of rain. Rain that fills the reservoirs, causes the rivers to flow deep and wide, and transforms the barren landscape into a lush kaleidoscope of brilliant greens and flowers in every color.
With this in mind, read Isaiah 35:1-10. As you read imagine this passage. Take a moment and draw what comes to your mind.
How does the landscape transform at the coming of the Lord?
How does joy show up in this passage?
When the Lord comes, everything is transformed. In this passage, the desert landscape grows lush with blooming vegetation and flows with streams of life-giving water, and the people respond with joyous songs. In the same way, when the Lord enters our lives, we are completely transformed. Life sprouts where before drought and decay reigned supreme. Joy and celebration replace grief and sorrow. And we are made new.
Take a few moments to reflect. How has God transformed you in the past? How is he transforming you today?
Pray. Celebrate God’s work of transformation in your life both past and present.
Art Attribution: Mike Moyers, “Hallelujah” and “Peaceable Kingdom” www.mikemoyersfineart.com
