Preparing with Peace - Advent Week 2

^{Read the passage below or listen to the audit file}

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
–Luke 2v8-14

REFLECTION

_{Read the text or play the audio recording below it}

What began as a terrifying night for a group of shepherds morphed into amazement and joy. But the peace proclaimed by the heavenly army in Luke’s gospel doesn’t seem to be having the same effect on us today. Anxiety is on the rise in the West. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “Height”) famously dubbed Gen Z “the anxious generation,” and it seems all of us, to some degree, are experiencing less and less peace.

So we employ desperate, scattershot approaches to finding peace. Some are outright counterfeits: we numb our bodies and minds with substances, endless scrolling, and all other manner of escapism available in the digital age. Other forms of peace are healthier. There is serendipitous peace when the stars align and we just happen to be in a good mood, circumstances work out, and our roommates or our kids enter a mysterious stretch of harmonious benevolence. Or the chill-out form of peace, when we clear the day’s overbooked schedule and settle in with a good book. Or social peace — the effort to end violence, injustice, and disorder.

We can become a sign and a foretaste of the future world right in the middle of the chaos of the present one.

These forms of peace are legitimate gifts of God. But none capture the full picture of the angelic announcement, nor what Jesus meant by “my peace I leave with you.” Jesus’ peace is deeper. It’s not contingent on circumstances. It never leaves. And the ultimate aim of his peace, as it gently calms our inner lives, is to move outward into a world that hungers for peace. As the line from St. Seraphim of Sarov goes, “Acquire the Spirit of Peace, and thousands around you will be saved.”

But how do we become people of peace? While there isn’t a magic mantra to whisk away feelings of anxiety, we do have a part to play. We can learn, in the words of Paul, to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Meaning, let his peace call the shots — let it be the umpire — in our thoughts, desires, and interactions, instead of our fears. Even as anxiety takes hold, we seek the Spirit’s wisdom and strength to think and act consistently with the peace of Christ. In the Way of Jesus, this matters not only because he cares about our inner world, but also because peace is the environment of Christlike love; we cannot love others with courage and clarity when fear is directing us.

Letting Christ’s peace rule becomes more natural over time as we create space for the Spirit in our daily habits. Acquiring peace is a slow surrender that grows as we create margin in our lives to be with the Spirit of peace. We need to regularly sit quietly with God long enough to experience his soulsettling presence, even if for a fleeting moment. And in that space, we can intentionally offer ourselves in surrender.

We often lack peace because we’re hanging on to control. We need to let it go. Easier said than done — but the Spirit is near to help us in our unbelief. We can ask the Spirit to help us see that our peace increases when we stop white-knuckling our self-directed strategies for finding it. We can ask him to reveal forms of peace we’ve elevated above the deeper peace Jesus offers. And when we take up control again, we can surrender again … and again.

Fear and anxiety will come; there are difficult days ahead. But be encouraged: Jesus came to bring peace in the midst of it, and hope for the end of it. Remember the heavenly peace-army: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” May the reality of his favor rest on you. And may his peace rule in your heart.

QUESTIONS:

How might we tell if we are leaning heavily on forms of peace, even good forms, that fall short of the peace of Christ?

Where might the Spirit be inviting you to surrender self-directed strategies for peace?