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Luke 2:1-20 (read) Advent: is about “waiting”; anticipation; expectation of something new… something different… something better! It had been going on for centuries and still, in a very real way, fills our hearts. * Isaiah expressed it this way: (11:6-9) “The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them. Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, their calves and cubs grow up together, and the lion eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will crawl over the rattlesnake dens, the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent. Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill on my holy mountain. The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-alive, a living knowledge of God ocean deep, ocean wide”. “Peace on earth…” That’s the message of Christmas from beginning to end. It’s celebrated in song and peaceful sentiments fill the pages of our Christmas cards. “Why does it seem so elusive? Why is it so hard to achieve? Why is it promised to so many (‘peace on earth’), yet realized by so few?” * Actually, our desire for peace is really accentuated and frustrated by all that’s chaotic and broken about our lives. All the “unrest”. * As I thought about my own desire for peace this year, it became evident that it was like a craving… I crave peace! (like I crave Moose Tracks ice cream or frozen King Dons?) * For clarification, I looked up the word “crave” in the Wiktionary: (lit.) ‘to long for or desire very much’ (example: the thirsty man craved water); ‘to long for’; ‘to need greatly or to require’. * I have a deficiency! (careful what you’re thinking!) There is a void of something that I not only desire, but that I require in order to be a fully-functioning human being. So, maybe the opposite of peace is not war (conflict), but brokenness. Maybe all of the injustice, violence, jealousy, and relational discord is a sign that we are ‘broken’- we don’t work right- we’re deficient! * In life, we’re really only motivated to seek what we believe will satisfy our cravings. There are cravings I experience which I am certain I know how to satisfy (i.e. there are some cravings that a half-pound of peanut M & M’s, an apple-fritter and a non-fat latte are sure to satisfy!) * But, I’m also aware of what will not satisfy me: atop that list is the seasonal favorite known as “fruitcake”- the “bologna” of the dessert world! Maybe it’s the compressed nature of its appearance, or the green cherries (which is just “wrong”- it’s not even natural). Mostly, it’s because I refuse to eat something that has a longer life-expectancy than me! * I determined that I usually crave what I have known; what I have experienced and the accompanying satisfaction that having my cravings fulfilled allows. * But, imagine a life characterized by cravings with nothing proving to satisfy. Imagine how frustrating a search, but not knowing where to look! ► What if the reason that we crave peace (desire, long for, need) is because it’s in our DNA? What if it’s what we were created for? That somewhere in our history, humanity has experienced peace. * We long for peace: in our homes, in our relationships, in our celebration. We keep our fingers crossed and hope that Aunt ____ or Uncle ____ , this year, will not do that thing they do or say that stuff they say which just seems to undermine peace! * Out of all the story this year, I noticed one phrase in particular that defines Christmas (this year and always): “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests”. The life of heaven permeating the home of men; that the only way to experience peace on earth is for God to come to us (“… and they will call him Emmanuel- which means, God with us”. Matthew 1:23). * God comes because he knows that we’ll never find peace on our own; we don’t even know where to look! ►The message of Christmas- peace on earth- is only accessible to those who will let God love them! Prior to meeting my wife, I loved deeply once. The place? Shaw Elementary: The girl? We’ll just call her Debbie. I longed for her! I sent my friends to her to suggest of a distance lover; I wrote her notes and at Christmas, I even gave her a gift. Finally, I went to her. I knew that if it were to be true love, there could be no substitute for me expressing my love for her. She needed to receive me and let me love her! I think she was disappointed to find out it was me! “Peace to men on whom his favor rests…” Peace for the whole earth, one broken, turbulent life at a time. Be reminded, too, that… ► Hearts can never be ruled, only captured! * In religion, we have tried the “don’t look, don’t touch” approach, but our hearts prove to be so “unrulely”. Our hearts can never be controlled by policies and systems and regulations… it can only be captivated by love! * The peace we crave is only possible as we allow our hearts to be captivated; as we trust ourselves to the one whose sole purpose is to rescue us… to make things right! That move toward God will require both courage and vulnerability. ►The promise of peace is really more about a new kind of life to be lived than a historical fact to be proven! * Jesus said repeatedly that the kingdom is “near you”. Maybe that means that you’ll have a better chance finding the life you crave in your heart than anywhere else. Maybe the life you need, you desire, is not as far away as you had imagined... it’s close; it’s near! That it’s within your reach, but it cannot be grasped… merely received. * It’s the kind of peace that comes amidst the chaos- within the anxious, turbulent circumstances of our lives. It’s a hope that’s birthed in us that recognizes that things are still not quite right, but they don’t have to be… but, they will be!
► If
God is the giver of peace, it’s our role to be makers of peace… “peace-makers” (blessed:
Matthew 5:9). It’s up to us to make peace; to be transformed into the kind of
people who not only expect for things to get better, but who help to make things
better! |
