Sermon for December 13, 2020
Rev. Elroy Christoper
The peace of Advent
The Third Sunday of Advent
Today we lit the third candle of Advent, the candle of Peace.
A very general understanding of peace is that it is “a state of quiet or tranquility; freedom from disturbance or agitation; it is something that applicable to society, to individuals, and it affects each of us in one way or another.
I believe most persons, whether at the level of world leaderships or ordinary citizens, desire peace. We dream of a peaceful world. We dream of peaceful communities, we dream of peaceful homes, we dream of peaceful school environments. We desire peace
The narrative used for the lighting of the candle of peace sums it up well: We dream of peaceful world; full of wolves and leopards and lions eating and sleeping and dancing with lambs, kids, and calves.
We dream of a peaceful world where nations come together, where war is a memory, and we eat at one table. A reference to the prophecy of Isaiah.
Put another way, we dream of the day when the oppressor and the oppressed can live together as equals in peace and harmony. None having to worry about what the other will do.
The question is how can we get past dreaming to making our dreams become reality?
While there is the desire for peace and we continue to dream of it, the truth is, it is elusive because too often the feeling is that peace must be only on our own terms, with little or no consideration for others.
Brothers and Sisters, if that mindset remains, and the Great Commandment given by Jesus, to love God with our whole beings and love our neighbors as ourselves is ignored, not practiced, true peace will remain just a dream.
The narrative for lighting the candle of peace reminds it is God who gives peace which the world cannot give.
The alternative is not one that is least desired, but where there is the absence of peace, a void created by the absence of peace, that void must be filled. Sadly, what often takes the place of peace would be things like violence, disturbance, agitation, discontent.
As the world grows smaller because of the ease of communication, we are becoming more conscious that violence is not limited to an outbreak of armed conflict. Violence takes many forms.
When we listen the news by radio, turn on our televisions, or go to any of the social media platforms, we are bombarded with new of things such as gender-based violence, we hear of economic violence perpetrated against the poor and underprivileged, we hear of verbal violence, we hear of ethnic violence, we hear of violence against children, we hear of violence against those who are differently abled, and we hear of violence against the environment, the destruction is the world ecosystem. The tragedy is that sometimes the perpetrators of some of these acts of violence, sit in the pews of churches.
So, we live in a world made violent by man’s own doing, a world in which peace remains largely a dream. But let us understand that this is not in keeping with the nature of God, not what he intends for his creation. God ‘s desire for us is that there be peace among men on whom his favor rests. That was the song of the heavenly host when the good news of the birth of Jesus was made known to the shepherds. It is God’s desire that his favor should rest on each of us.
Paul understood the importance and need for peace among the followers of Jesus and by extension, in the world. In each of the epistles attributed to him, his salutations included the words - “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I hear these words saying that as we receive Grace from God, it will bring peace to our lives. Peace, not as the world gives, but inner peace that only God in Jesus Christ can give. I hear these words saying that experiencing that inner peace, when we are at peace with God and with ourselves, it leads to being at peace with others. This is what the apostle admonished in 1 Thessalonians 5 :13 (just before the portion read today) LIVE IN PEACE WITH EACH OTHER. That means being able to disagree without being disagreeable. It means living as God would have us live, at peace with each other.
In the reading today he gave final instructions to the community at Thessalonica. I want for each of us to receive these the admonishments as being personal to each of us today because they are still truly relevant:
He admonishes to live their lives joyfully (and this is possible when we are at peace with God and ourselves) he admonishes to be constant in prayer (seeking with God and receiving His word); He admonishes to give thanks, for this is God’s will for them. He said to them: hold to that which is good.
Then he expressed his concern for the community as he ends this epistle with this benediction “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ.”
It is a benediction that reminds us today our lives must be sanctified, made holy by God himself, who is the God of peace. God who sent His Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace to redeem broken humanity like you and me.
We are again reminded in a special way in the season of Advent that the Prince of Peace will return. It is as we await his return as he promised, and as we believe, that Paul prays that our spirit, soul and body be kept blameless.
We are reminded today that we are to Make straight the way of the Lord, seek the God of peace who will sanctify and keep us, draw close to the and each other, blameless until that day of Christ’s return.
On this day, we remember the Lord of All who brings peace surpassing all understanding.