Peace Part One

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

There is a competition in my mind over which of the first two Advent words: "hope" or "peace" really is more elusive and odd for the church to proclaim in our current world.  On the one hand, hope is fleeting and fading.  The nightly news seems bent on sharing story after story that awaken hopelessness within our hearts.  On the other, peace might as well reside on Pluto for it feels that distant from our world.  There is too much violence and reliance on the military out of fear for us to really embody/live peace.

Part of the Advent paradox is that what the church is proclaiming is the already and not yet.  Hope is here because of God's willingness to slip into skin and walk among us.  We feel peace in moments when we encounter an unceasing grace and unconditional love in hugs of others.  But the reality is that hope and peace are not full time residents in our world...although I believe God is.  Our faith lives on the corner of already and not yet: God has already broken into our world...God has already conquered death through life....God has already showed us how to live with love and kindness and walk humbly with God in the life of Jesus.  Yet...things are not all rosy and merry and bright. There is a "not yet" when we honestly name there is too much brokenness.  There is too much treating people as less than beloved children of God.  We live on the corner between the truth of these two realities.

What ends us happening...especially this time of year...is in the hustle and bustle of trying to do too much and cram life into these dwindling days of 2013, we end up feeling distant from either hope or peace.  Rather than trying to slow down, breathe, and truly stay awake to God, we want to take matters into our own hands.  We will show Christmas this year who is really in charge.  I will make my gifts or buy them from fair trade organizations.  I will finally read that devotional I bought.  At moments like that I remember the truth of Dr. Suess, because the Grinch thought he could control Christmas too!

Perhaps Christmas is about surrender to God's presence in our lives.  Christmas is our humble acknowledgement of Emmanuel, God with us here.  Here!  In this beautiful and broken world.  Here!  In this kitchen filled with dirty dishes and burnt cookies.  Here!  In the exhaustion you might feel almost half way through December.  

I could say more...but maybe listening to the carol, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is even better.   I love The Piano Guys and this might just be my favorite rendition!  May this open you to a trace of God's grace! Click here to listen and see them offer this beautiful carol!

Blessings ~