Advent 2nd Sunday

This week of Advent reflects on peace. Nearing the end of his letter to the Philippians the apostle Paul tells his readers that the Lord is near and therefore to not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil 4:6). And then he continues:

"...And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (v7).

A pastor friend calls this the peace that makes no sense. This is the peace that we have because of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. There is no other way we can have this kind of inconceivable peace and as far is the world is concerned we should have no peace, but we do because of Jesus Christ. This is the peace that comes from above comes because we are fully relying on God and on his promises. This is the peace that Jesus promised when he was with his disciples and the door were locked for their fear of the Jews. He came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Just to make certain that the disciples caught those words, Jesus showed them his hands and his side and said again, "Peace be with you" (John 20:19-23).

How can we have peace when we don't know from where the next pay check is coming or the fear of foreclosure on a home is frighteningly close? Where is the peace when our children are making choices that are not so helpful and walking with the Lord for them something for which they no longer have the time? What about our job security? How can we have peace when there is no job for us to work? What about the future? The future is unclear, uncertain, and God seems distant and silent on our fears and hopes and dreams. Where is the peace when we can't see what tomorrow will hold or when the diagnosis is not what we want to hear?

The arrival of Jesus Christ into the world, the saviour of the world, was promised from the beginning. He is the Prince of Peace, the glory of the Lord revealed. Peace that the world brings is not peace at all. Peace that the world brings is dependent on me, dependent on my circumstances, dependent on my feelings, dependent on the things that I can provide and dependent on what is visible, and on what I already know. The peace that comes from the knowledge of the Lord does not depend on me. That peace, the kind that makes no sense, the like of which is beyond our understanding is only available to me because the light of the world came into the world and He is coming again.
Listen to the words of Isaiah:

"Do you not know?  

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"

(Isaiah 40:28-31).

I do not know how this works. I have no idea how there is so much uncertainty all around me and while my expectations may be crashing down and yet somehow, incredibly, inexplicable, I have peace because I believe in the One who made me and has promised me and given me this peace. It is not easy, I don't pretend that it is but there is the peace that makes no sense, no sense at all. Only by God's grace do I have this peace and only by God's grace will I continue to have it.

Prepare the way of the Lord...