Links for today’s readings:
Dec 8 Read: 2 Chronicles 8 Listen: (3:02) Read: Psalms 116 Listen: (1:34)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 116:3-7
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
Reflection: Peace and Rest — Peace of Advent
By Erin Newton
Despite the joy of the Christmas season, I find myself utterly exhausted—and it is only week two. In other ways, I am emotionally spent, having been emotionally exhausted from grief, unmet expectations, unrealistic fears, and the uncertainty of our daily lives. It is overwhelming.
This same plea and exhaustion reverberated through the hearts of God’s people two millennia ago. The prophets foretold salvation, but it had not yet come. They promised the people peace and rest for their weary souls, but it had not come to fruition. They cast a vision of things being made right, but so much was still terribly wrong.
But Jesus came. What was promised began its path to fulfillment.
In the darkness of those ancient days, peace and rest had been promised but without the Messiah, our Jesus Christ, it was still only just an unfulfilled promise. Perhaps they enjoyed momentary peace. Things would be okay for a little while. Relationships would get along fairly well. People would find some assurance in their stance before God. But the peace that truly endures comes through faith in Christ. Praise God it has now come.
What I love about Advent is the realization that we are not stuck in the distressing and exhausting “cords of death” that wrap themselves around us. When we have come to know the Lord, we realize that the peace of his advent is with us here and now. We can repeat in our hearts the call: Return to your rest, my soul.
Can you hear it? The promise of peace is a harbor of rest for your soul. It is an invitation to come in, sit down, stay awhile.
The peace of Advent, for us, is knowing that our souls have returned to rest (or at least that opportunity is offered to us). Often we are too busy with the season. Commercial Advent calendars tempt us to keep things exciting for 24 days straight. New items! New projects! New activities!
Can the peace of Advent be letting your soul return to rest this week? That might look like praying Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55) with your coffee one morning. It might be laying aside the urge to add presents when your friends and family probably prefer presence. It might be counting the ways “the Lord has been good to you.”
In whatever way you choose, let the peace of Advent guide your soul to rest.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your Name forevermore. — Psalm 86.12
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.
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