Links for today’s readings:
Read: Revelation 2 Listen: (4:59)
Scripture Focus: Isaiah 9.6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Reflection: Truth, Justice, and the Holidays — Peace of Advent
By Erin Newton
Peace does not come without change. If it did, it would be a false peace—a mere pacification. It’s not that we only long for the cessation of war, we want things to be made right. The peace promised through Christ is the peace of truth and justice.
Isaiah speaks of this child, Prince of Peace, who will reign forever, establishing and upholding justice and righteousness. If peace was merely stopping war, there would be no need to establish something new. Not only is the current situation of conflict and strife not good, but the system that allows and perpetuates such conflict is not good.
The prophet speaks to a community that is riddled with injustices—affliction of the weak, oppression of the poor, corruption of the greedy, and the immunity of the wicked. Peace could not come to them without the removal of their power and establishment of someone who would rule in righteousness.
How could a child be the bearer of such great change? The promised peace through justice and truth was coming, but it was beginning in infancy. Peace was going to take time.
Waiting for the peace of Advent looks very similar to how it did thousands of years ago. The part of peace that brings the removal of conflict and the establishment of justice seems to be happening slowly. And I think that’s hard to handle sometimes.
Swift justice is probably not good justice. Immediate peace is probably empty pacification.
But just as the child is promised to reign in truth and justice upon King David’s throne, his peace is promised to last forever. Peace is slow to come but eternal in its stay. That gives us some footholds of hope to cling to.
Looking at peace reveals many layers. We have seen the spiritual layer of peace as wholeness within our souls. We have seen the promise of peace that removes all conflict and strife. In many ways, we’ve been able to see these firsthand when we experience salvation and when fractured relationships are repaired.
But some peace is still yet to come. We wait for wrongs to be made right and for justice to be the law of the land. Advent is an exercise in waiting. Let us look for the peace that calls into account all that has been done wrong.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. — Matthew 5.6
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Read more about A Time of Peace and Favor — Peace of Advent
Now the manger holds him
Now the child sleeps
The cross will one day hold him. There he will make peace.
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