PEACE - SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT


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Luke 1:26-18, 2:8-14; John 14:27   
Silent Night, Holy Night. Shepherds quake, at the sight.  ("Silent Night, Holy Night, verse 2; Words:  Joseph Mohr, Lyrics:  Franz Xaver Gruber; 1818)

When we say, "Peace be with you," what kind of peace are we talking about?  Peace, like the absence of war and conflict?  Peace and quiet, like a cabin by lake in the middle of the woods or that time in the morning before the rest of the world is up for the day?  Or peace of mind, when we fall asleep without a care in the world because we're safe and warm in our homes and all is right with the world?

 The problem with those kinds of peace is that they're all temporary.  At any moment, they can be disturbed by what I call "Holy crap!" events.  That's when everything seems to be under control and my future seems secure, and something happens, and my life is turned upside down.





























Mary had one of those "Holy crap!" moments when the angel Gabriel appears and announces,"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God," (Luke 1:30).  Of course Mary is afraid.  The angel is telling her that the impossible is going to happen to her, and it's going to radically change her life.

The beloved Christmas carol by Father Joseph Mohr, describes the night on which Jesus was born as silent and still.  For shepherds charged to protect their flocks from hungry predators, no matter how peaceful the night, they were alert, watching and listening for any signs of danger.  Angels were the last thing they expected, and so no wonder they were "quaking," shaking with fear when "... and angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." (Luke 2:9-10)  The shepherds all knew that to look upon the glory of God meant death, so this couldn't be good.

Like Mary, in John 14, we read that the disciples have had a "Holy crap!" moment of their own.  The truth has finally set in.  Jesus will be betrayed by one of them, and Jesus is going to die.  Their plans, their hopes, their very lives have been turned upside down.  Like the shepherds, they believed that nothing good could come from this.  Perhaps, they even feared for their own lives.  If the authorities were going to execute Jesus, would they be next?

Jesus answers their concerns with, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."  (John 14:27)

Christ's peace is a gift of God's unconditional love that is steadfast and forever.  Unlike anything the world may offer us, including peace, God's love and peace can never be taken away from us.  Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that we have through Jesus Christ, and no number of "Holy crap!" moments can rob us of the peace of Christ.

This peace is founded in the faithfulness of God, the witness that nothing is impossible for God and the absolute truth of God's abiding presence in our lives under any and all circumstances.  This is the peace that we offer to one another and to the world.  This is the Peace that is the gift of Christmas.



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