The Tranquility, Security, Harmony, and Maturity of Peace
Sitting at the breakfast table with a heaping bowl of sugary cereal, I ponder the nuances of “Advent”.
Like so much of the Gospel, understanding “Advent” is both blessedly easy and incredibly deep. On the one hand, “Advent” as a time of anticipation is something we are all familiar with, it is a natural part of life, and we can translate that easily into our waiting for Christ. On the other hand, recognizing that “Advent” is not a passive thing, but something that puts demands on the believer is deep, real deep. Advent is the action of waiting, expecting something to happen. Advent is anticipating the feeling of a future that is better than the present. We anticipate the feeling of hope, of peace, of love, and of joy—all feelings that come easily to us, but that are hard to classify and discuss. Advent is easy… and challenging.
Advent is a time of yearning for peace, expecting a better, more peaceful future than our present.
Peace = tranquility. With sugary bombs on my spoon, I gaze contentedly out the window on a gently falling snow… but in the back of my mind, the rush of the day is building and I know a hectic time is ahead. My current tranquility is temporary at best.
Peace = security. I feel safe wrapped in my home, sitting on my duff, Christmas music playing softly in the background… but I know that emotional challenges lay ahead. Indeed, I am likely just ignoring pressing issues that will endanger my sense of security, for security this side of heaven is an illusion.
Peace = harmony. Everything comes together well, everything works smoothly in unison. My son pats me on the head, the snow is a beautiful blanket of white on the ground, my wife greets me with a good morning, there is no discord… until she sees my breakfast of sugar, my son tells me of the dripping faucet, and my car slides off the snowy road. Harmony? Ha! There are simply too many discordant notes.
Peace = maturity. Well, with my choice of cereal, perhaps maturity is not exactly what I feel, but something like that. With God’s Word before me, I am prepared for the day, declared righteous in His sight… but, I know there are so many holes yet! So many things that yet need to be done in my life.
And so, peace reigns in my life… sort of. Given the blessings of my life, the gift of peace—tranquility, security, harmony, maturity—are easy to see. But, the pain of sin, of brokenness, of wickedness is present as well, always lurking just beneath the surface.
And, here then is “Advent”: The anticipation of that feeling that the future, a future full of God’s peace, will not be temporary, not incomplete, and not blind to sin. Instead, it will be a future so much better than today, because God Himself will make it so. The “peace” we are expecting is not a peace of human invention, but a peace of God’s very Presence. True tranquility, perfect security, beautiful harmony, and complete maturity is ahead for all believers, for our Lord has promised, and has guaranteed it through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Join me in anticipating the coming of Peace this Sunday. Read Isaiah 55 (especially verses 12-13).
1. What is the overall point of this chapter? What does God
want to communicate to the reader?
2. List out all the times God does something or states that
He will do something.
3. What is our response in light of what God is doing? How
are we to act and respond?
4. In verse 12, what is the connection between peace and
joy?
5. Why do the mountains and the hills and the trees act that
way? Assuming this at least is partial imagery, what is being communicated?
6. The first half of verse 13 brings to mind Genesis 3 when
God announced the curse on the ground for sin. What might the connection there
be?
7. How does the end of verse 13 link everything back to God?
What/where is the “Advent” here?
