Peace

Two NYPD police officers were murdered last night, by an assailant who allegedly vowed to kill police officers in revenge for the deaths of Micheal Brown and Eric Garner.

(http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/21/us/new-york-police-officers-shot/index.html?hpt=hp_t1)

Peace. Something we long for, but don't seem to really want.

As a people, we seem more concerned with our rights than with our responsibilities.

And you cannot have the first without taking up the second. 

Justice comes when our rights are protected and we take care of what we are responsible for.

Advent is a time of hope, love, joy and peace.

In thinking about this fourth candle in our Advent wreath, I am reminded of the hymn that we sing from time to time, Let Peace Begin with Me:

Let there be peace on Earth,
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on Earth,
The peace that was meant to be.

With God as our Father,
Brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother,
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me,
Let this be the moment now,
With every step I take,
Let this be my solemn vow,

To take each moment and live each moment
In peace, eternally.
Let there be peace on Earth,
And let it begin with me.

Peace is not an abstract hope, but a reality that can be experienced.

But it can only become a reality for those around me when it becomes a priority in me.

Only when Peace is something I choose to be responsible for, will it become a reaity - for us or for others.

Peace begins with each of us – a commitment to live in peace through the knowledge that every man, woman and child is our sibling when God is our Father.

Let peace begin with me.

Joy

 

Joy.

It is an attitude that creates reality, not the result of circumstances.

Joy comes from knowing God and His promises to us, even in the face of circumstances.

As we celebrate this Third Sunday of Advent, here are a few verses about joy for us to focus on.

Psalm 16:11 – “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Isaiah 12:6 – “Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

Luke 1:14 – “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth…”

John 16:20 – “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

Matthew 28:8 – “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.”

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

May the reality of Christ’s love for us fill us with unspeakable joy this week and always.

Love

On the second Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of Love to signify the love of God that reaches out to embrace us and the entire world.

A love that is stronger than kings and empires, stronger than grief or despair, stronger even than death.

1 John 4:19

We love, because God first loved us.

Hard to do, in the world we live in today. Hard to do in the community we live in, or even our homes sometimes.

Hard to love the “unlovable”, especially when they hurt us.

Hard to love those who not only don’t love us, but maybe even hurl insults at us.

But the Love of God, made flesh in Jesus Christ, enters our world just the same – uninhibited by our failure to love the way He does -  unconditionally.

The same Jesus who teaches us to love our enemies and even pray for those who persecute us.

The same Jesus, who takes His first earthly breath in Bethlehem, who asks His Father to forgive those who just moments before, nailed Him to a cross and stand guard as He breathes His final breath on earth.

1 John reminds us that we love, not because others have loved us, or even because they deserve it.

No, we love because God first loved us – as unlovable as we are or can be.

Love enters into our world, and nothing will ever be the same.

Praise God!