The angels sang of peace.
And yet I struggle
to remember
what seems
so elementary:
peace has its source
in you, the Prince of Peace.
Peace seems to be
the theme song of
a mocking bird,
just borrowed
and played back,
called out in bland
irrelevance, mere words.
Where is goodwill
when wars devour
the planet? Even
in your Body
the cruel manipulation
of the truth scores wounds;
ill will is out to banish peace.
There is no peace.
At least not in the
daily scratch
and dig of
selfish, cancered
brokenness. Bells and tinsel
are a mockery if this is all there is.
If not for you, our hope
would lie abandoned
in the darkness.
But your Light
still shines,
and in that Light we see beyond the now
to the not yet, made perfect with your peace.
Peace is my hope, my
confidence beyond
myself in you,
that you
will stand
and call us each by name
to lead us like a flock to peace,
to living undisturbed
by tranquil streams
where canine teeth
no longer tear
at hearts
but we are safe and
loved, your Kingdom come.
So now I take this truth
to be my own, my
present living out
of future grace.
Your Kingdom
is alive inside my heart.
Your will be done, dear Prince of Peace.
This is what faith is: “my present living out of future grace.”
I find it interesting that many view “faith” as the focus of the Second Week of Advent, remembering the prophecies that were fulfilled at Christ’s birth and meditating on the promises of the Second Coming, while others contemplate “peace” during the Second Week. Which to follow?
I find a gentle weaving of the two in Scripture. One precious prophecy underlined that the coming Messiah would be called “Prince of Peace.” This is one of the most quoted verses during this time of Advent, of preparation for celebration:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6 NIV)
The child who would be born (a human!) would also be Mighty God! And his ministry would be a government ruled by peace! When we hear “prince” we automatically think of one who is the son of the king, but the Hebrew word used here refers to an official, leading person, chief, a ruler.[1] Yes, this “child” would become the one governing the world, and his rule would be characterized by peace.
So when we look at the desperate state of affairs around the world, we need to have faith that there will come a time when peace will be reality. The Messiah has come, and he brings true peace even now to those who are citizens of his Kingdom, peace in our hearts. My heart cries out in the poem, “If not for you, our hope would lie abandoned in the darkness.” Those who are not in the Kingdom have no confident assurance of peace, not now, not in the future. Those of us who have the Prince of Peace as Master of our lives have shalom, a word in Hebrew with such depth of meaning that in English we need to translate it differently according to each context. It includes wholeness, being intact; salvation; health; well-being; peace.[2]
So those of us who have this Prince of Peace living in us, shepherding us, are walking in confident assurance (faith!) that he is in charge of our well-being (peace!) and that when his Kingdom is ushered into its complete reign, at last there will complete peace everywhere.
That is definitely worth contemplating as we prepare for the day when we celebrate Messiah’s birth on earth. As the angels sang:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14 NIV)
And looking forward in faith to the future, we know that the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace will usher in complete wholeness, forever:
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:7 NIV)
That Kingdom characterized by complete “justice and righteousness” is what we look forward to with fervent anticipation!
[1] Holladay lexicon.
[2] Ibid.
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