First Reader:
Peace. It is hard to even contemplate what the word means anymore. We no longer live in a world where we experience the meaning of peace. But did we ever live in such a world?
The people of the Old Testament had recognized the promise
of God in sending a savior. They were rooted in that hope. But Peace is what
they needed.
Second Reader:
Psalm 85:6-13 says-
Won’t you revive us again,
so your people can
rejoice in you?
Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
and grant us your
salvation.
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
for he speaks
peace to his faithful people.
But let them not
return to their foolish ways.
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
so our land will
be filled with his glory.
Unfailing love and truth have met together.
Righteousness and
peace have kissed!
Truth springs up from the earth,
and righteousness
smiles down from heaven.
Yes, the Lord
pours down his blessings.
Our land will
yield its bountiful harvest.
Righteousness goes as a herald before him,
preparing the way
for his steps.
First Reader:
How heavy is your heart this Christmas season? In a world of chaos, shadow, hurt, disappointment, eagerness… is it even possible to contemplate what peace truly means anymore?
Second or Third
Reader:
Beyond the shopping. Beyond the rushing around. Beyond the
presents and toys. Beyond the friendly gatherings. Beyond the chaos of life.
There lies a child, in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. He is heaven’s
answer to our troubled world. He is Heaven’s blessing poured down, unfailing
love, truth meeting together in a peaceful sleeping infant.
This precious, innocent, infant would grow up to be our
reconciler with God and humanity. Do you hear his voice? It is soft, it is
easily forgotten, like the cry that cracked the silence of God for over 400
years, it is easily missed. But He speaks peace to you, right where you are.
We remember the words of Jesus on the night he was betrayed,
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is
a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I
told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.” And “I have told
you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many
trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
First Reader:
When the prophets spoke of peace, they didn’t just mean
making everything calm, they were talking about peace for the whole of life.
Jesus taught us the same thing. As the Prince of Peace, Jesus came to put
everything right. He came to help us love one another and accept one another,
even when we are very different or even disagree with each other. He came to
include the poor, the lonely the unusual and rejected. He came to bring peace
between one another. He came to show us that God forgives us for all the wrong
things we do and that we can be at peace with God.
The Advent Candle today represents Peace. Just as on the
night when Jesus was born, peace came into the world, so today, as we invite
Jesus in and live in his way, his peace can transform our fear, hurt, anger,
and resentment. As we light this candle and read a Scripture, think about who
you may need to make peace with.
Different Reader:
Isaiah 26:3-19-
You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in
you,
all whose thoughts
are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord
always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
He humbles the proud
and brings down
the arrogant city.
He brings it down
to the dust.
The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot,
and the needy walk
all over it.
But for those who are righteous,
the way is not
steep and rough.
Different Reader:
You are a God who does what is right,
and you smooth out
the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show
our trust in you by obeying your laws;
our heart’s desire
is to glorify your name.
In the night I search for you;
in the morning I
earnestly seek you.
For only when you come to judge the earth
will people learn what is right.
Lord, you will
grant us peace;
all we have
accomplished is really from you.
O Lord our God,
others have ruled us,
but you alone are
the one we worship.
Lord, in
distress we searched for you.
We prayed beneath
the burden of your discipline.
Just as a pregnant woman
writhes and cries
out in pain as she gives birth,
so were we in your
presence, Lord.
We, too, writhe in agony,
but nothing comes
of our suffering.
We have not given salvation to the earth,
nor brought life
into the world.
But those who die in the Lord
will live;
their bodies will
rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
will rise up and
sing for joy!
For your life-giving light will fall like dew
on your people.
Prayer:
Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter,
we praise you for the great wonder you have sent us:
Jesus, your Son, our Advocate of peace, the Elegant Champion
of reconciliation, Your victories echo harmoniously. You teach us the way
towards peace, help us as we carry the torch of peace to our homes, our
workplaces, our neighborhoods that it may reside within our hearts and radiate
in our surroundings. Through the grace of Your power, transform the world into
a Heaven. You are the only hope of mankind.
In our world this day Give peace, we pray. Because there is
no one else who will fight for us If not You, our God.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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