Peace? What is peace? It usually depends on who you ask… To those at war, it is a ceasefire. To those with hectic lives, it is calm and still. For those with anxiety or depression, it is inner tranquility. To the parent of small children, it is a moment of quiet. To those in complicated relationships, it is a lack of conflict, whether internal or external. For some, it can be a greeting or signoff, but few things are more fragile than peace. 

A lack of peace affects individuals, families, communities, and nations. Marriages fill with strife. Parents and children argue. We may lack peace within ourselves. We may be unsettled, uncertain, conflicted. One moment we are angry. The next, we are sad. Then all of a sudden, we are happy—without understanding why we felt those things. People can try to manufacture peace or fake peace by pretending not to care or that everything is fine, not realizing that any peace we produce is fragile. False peace can be destroyed instantly by failure, doubt, fear, difficulty, guilt, shame, distress, regret, sorrow, or anxiety about the future, relationships, and possessions.

The biblical concept of peace is different. It is not merely the lack of conflict, hostility, or Wherever Jesus goes, he brings peace. He is the Prince of Peace. When he was born and came to earth, the angels cried, “Peace on earth.” Peace was the farewell gift he left to his disciples. The greatest “peace” Jesus achieved for us is that He took away the enmity between us and God by His death on the cross.

Advent 2020: Peace - 11.29.20