Psalm 4:3-8; John
14:23-27
Second Sunday in Advent
“I think we’re going to have an
exceptionally good Christmas,” wrote the German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a
letter to his fiancée Maria on December 1, 1943. He
shared this hopeful sentiment despite the dire circumstance of his being in a
Gestapo prison, having been arrested earlier that year for conspiring to put an
end to Hitler. It’s not hard to
imagine what must have been heavy on his heart and mind at that time -- the
horrors of the Third Reich’s “new order” and failed attempts to stop it; the
fearfully honest thoughts about what was to be his earthly fate; the heavy weight
of war in this world; the great and tender longing to be with and care for his
beloved Maria and all of his family.
Still, it had been Advent, the time
of true preparation for Christmas. Sharing
his perspective on this tension, he further wrote to his beloved saying, “The
very fact that every outward circumstance precluded our making provision for
[Christmas] will show whether we can be content with what is truly
essential. I used to be very fond of
thinking up and buying presents, but now that we have nothing to give, the gift
God gave us in the birth of Christ will seem all the more glorious.”[i]
By grace and through faith, he set
his heart on celebrating the gift of God with us, of Emmanuel, of God enfleshed
to directly be with this world of sin and sorrow and to show the Way through
and beyond it. In that time of
tremendous tension and turmoil, of anxiety about what was coming next for him and
so very many others, he rejoiced in God’s strengthening and redeeming presence
coming to us that first Christmas. Focusing
on this glorious gift filled his heart and mind with holy, abiding peace.
On this December day, the second
Sunday in the season of Advent, we too focus on opening our hearts to the deep peace
of Christ. The peace that fully and
forever reconciles us with God, with ourselves, and with all humanity. The
peace proclaimed in traditional Christmas carols, experienced so beautifully
with every candle-holding singing of “Silent Night.” The peace sung about as well as in newer Christmas
songs, such as a favorite of mine called “Peace, Peace” by singer-songwriter
Sara Groves. She sings these honest
words –
“Peace, peace, it’s hard to
find. Trouble comes like a wrecking
ball, to your peace of mind and all that worry you can’t leave behind you. Peace, peace, it’s hard to find, doubt comes
like a tiny voice that’s so unkind. And
all your fears, they conspire to unwind you.”
Then her faithful, familiar chorus
reminds us of the glorious gift, proclaiming, “And in your dark street shines
an everlasting light, and all your hopes and fears, are met in Him tonight.”
This peace is “more than mere peace
of mind or a cease-fire between enemies”[ii] … it is
shalom, which means “universal
flourishing, wholeness and delight … a state of affairs that inspires joyful
wonder” in this world.[iii] It is, as bible scholar William Barclay
explains, “conquering peace,” because it is “independent of outward
circumstances,” and “no experience of life can ever take it from us and no
sorrow, no danger, no suffering can ever make it less.” This is in contrast to what Barclay calls
the worldly peace of escape, which
“comes from the avoidance of trouble and from refusing to face facts.”[iv]
There wasn’t room in Bonhoeffer’s
cell to avoid trouble or refuse to face facts.
There was only space to faithfully prepare his heart to again celebrate
the birth of God’s conquering peace in Christ.
This is always a beautiful,
inspiring time of year full of color and light and festive sounds. It’s a time
for celebrating joys, blessings, family, and fullness of life. But I believe we all know it can also be filled
with tension and turmoil. In can be very
difficult to experience peace for ourselves and others in the midst of it …
We know there are many living in
confining emotional and physical cells and circumstances, many facing manifold
threats to their well-being. For people
near to us and unknown to us, this season can trigger suffocating grief about
all sorts of sudden and ongoing losses.
It can let loose bullets of despair and anxiety through the hearts of
folks trying to cope with life interruptions, changes and tragedies. And 24-7 streaming news sources keep us all
ever alert to the ever-present foot and handprints of sin.
To every worldly woe, Jesus, God
with us, our Emmanuel, insists we not let our hearts be troubled. He keeps reminding us through Scripture,
prayer, encounters with faithful brothers and sisters, and through many
mysterious ways that His conquering peace is with us. The promise of it is never broken. Holy wholeness is always happening. We don’t experience it all at once, or on
demand, and our Lord knows we all can and do sinfully resist it in many
ways. Not to mention we’re all pretty
much culturally wired to be impatient about waiting for anything. But truly, hear the Good News that there is
never a human moment Christ’s conquering peace is not abiding with us. It began in a meager manger, moved on to
teach its radically loving and inclusive ways to humankind, and then stumbled with
humility to the Cross before marching victoriously out of a tomb. Through the intimate power of the Holy Spirit
it keeps coming and going on earth as it is in heaven. For us.
May we help ourselves, one another
and others in our lives and across the globe to focus of receiving this glorious
gift. While waiting for new and needed
experiences of God with us, it’s a sure strengthening to open our hearts and
minds to folks who’ve experienced and gladly shared stories of it blessing their
lives and this world. Voices past and present bear witness to its abiding
power. This is the reason one way I’m preparing for
Christmas this year is by turning each day to an Advent devotional based on the
writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer called GOD IS IN THE MANGER. Who
do you know and where do you turn to be reminded of Christ’s conquering peace?
There’s someone else we can all turn
to this time of year. St. Nick! By this I mean the man named Nicolas, who
was born 1, 733 years ago in a village in what is now Turkey. He was born to wealthy, devoutly Christian
parents. Sadly, he was orphaned at the
age of nine when they died of a plague.
He, whose name means, “Victorious,” did not go on, as author Max Lucado
whimsically puts it, to major in toy making and minor in marketing. This historical figure who is the seed of all
Santa legends, instead studied Greek philosophy and Christian doctrine.
Nicolas’ upbringing in our faith and
his subsequent studies inspired to him to use all of his sizeable inheritance
to assist the needy, sick and suffering.
He dedicated his life to serving the Lord and was appointed the Bishop
of Myra. He knew
tension and turmoil, for he suffered imprisonment and exile during the Roman
Empire’s most severe persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. This did not break his faith in God’s
glorious gift. Upon release he went on
to be widely known for his great generosity and abiding love of children. Many countries in Europe celebrated his
faithful legacy this past Friday, St. Nicolas Day. So, yes, we can also turn to St. Nick, for
this historic figure experienced and extended the glorious gift of Christ’s
peace, of shalom, of God with us.
Inspired by Jesus’ personal promise
to abide with us and by generations of faithful witness to this holy happening,
may these Advent days be spent preparing our hearts anew to receive and to
share true peace. By doing so, I am confident this will be an
exceptionally good Christmas! Amen.
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