Advent 10: Peace ...

Tuesday, Dec 10, 2013. Peace is a word which is used many times in the biblical books. A search will easily list more than 300 passages. God wants peace for us. Peace is one of the crucial and important points of the bible.

Peace to You! …

We might not feel peace at the moment in our personal circumstances. Some of us suffer from some illness. Others are in conflicts. Some of us had terrible experiences or lost some loved one. Some have been part of the catastrophies of our world, are in famine or were hit by storms and floods.

But in all of this, Jesus talks about peace. In the gospel of Luke, we find it many times:

Lu 1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Lu 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Lu 2:29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in

peace

, according to your word; Lu 7:50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Lu 8:48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Lu 10:5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ Lu 10:6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. Lu 12:51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Lu 14:32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. Lu 19:38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Lu 19:42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Lu 24:36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” How to gain peace? … Peace is a practical thing. It means that the wappons are put away. And more than that, it means that understanding grows. Peace means that the illness goes away. Peace means that the catastrophies are overcome, and normal life reigns again. Jesus also talks about a peace which is deeper than the superficial peace when we live next to each other. He talks about “peace with God”**. And he talks about this spirit of peace and purpose, which fills our life when he has come into it. When we are no longer on our own, no longer lonely, but when God with his spirit has entered our personal path and has become a part of it.

Peace is also work. It needs decisions. And it needs both sides. It needs steps towards each other - either between two humans, or two groups, or between man and God. God has gone these steps in Jesus, the advent time tells us about it. He wants us to do the same, and walk towards him! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts