Advent is upon us, the season of preparation and anticipation of the arrival of the King; Emmanual, God with us. The traditional theme of the second Sunday in Advent is ‘Peace.’
Everyone wants peace. Peace of mind. Peace and quiet. World peace. But what does peace mean from a Biblical perspective?
The good folks at the Bible Project explain it this way:
“We often hear that peace comes through strength. If our military is the most powerful fighting force, our enemies won’t challenge us and we’ll have peace. Taking the opposite approach, some try to “keep the peace” by avoiding conflict and ignoring problems, hoping they’ll solve themselves. Like Israel’s false prophets, they provide superficial harmony, saying, “Peace, peace!” But in reality, nobody is truly at peace (Jer. 6:14).
The kind of peace envisioned during Advent comes not through military victory or avoidance of reality but through the way of Jesus. He brings true peace by honestly addressing and working to heal the deeper sources of division, such as fear and pride, that compel people to violence. Jesus reconciles all things to himself, offering healing and restoration through love and forgiveness.
As Jesus continues his work of bringing real, lasting peace throughout the Earth, we can participate in that work by living as peacemakers. We join with Jesus by embracing his non-violent way of forgiveness, caring for our neighbors, and extending generous love toward all people.”
Peace seems hard to come by these days. A lot of people seem eager for a fight, for any reason, or for no reason at all. There’s a better way, though. A way to shalom without end. A road paved with humility and forgiveness. Peace is not just the absence of conflict, but making things whole again. If there’s anything in your life, or your relationships, that seems broken, now would be a good time to think about restoration.
Blessed are those who pursue reconciliation and forgiveness, who strive to make our world whole again. Blessed are the peacemakers.
P.A. Tennant – Advent, 2025
Soli Deo Gloria
Video: The Bible Project: https://bibleproject.com/videos/shalom-peace/
Copyright 2025 Paul A. Tennant
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P.A. Tennant 