4th Sunday of Advent - Perfect Love

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility... In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:14,22

Advent offers us time to refocus on the promise, birth, redemption, and return of Christ. The Christmas season brings lights and gifts, love and joy; it retells the stories of prophets and angels, shepherds and magi, Mary and Jesus. All the wonders of Christmas open our imaginations to promises and possibilities. From before time until time to come, God embraces us with love.

“...When peace shall over all the earth
It’s ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world sends back the song
Which now the angels sing.”**

“Peace on earth” is God’s promise of Everlasting Peace which is still to come. Anticipation of the second Advent of Christ becomes our eternal hope. For now, each of us are called to embrace the gifts offered by Perfect Love. May Christ’s love be the ornament that decorates our hearts at Christmas and throughout the coming year. Let us sing the angels’ message, “Peace on earth, good will to men.” -dho

** lyrics from It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Edmund Sears, 1849 

3rd Sunday Advent - Indescribable Joy

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Peace is often challenged by a world full of anxieties and chaos, doubts and uncertainties, but there is an inner peace the soul can know. When faith in Christ leads us to “peace with God” the “peace of God” becomes the soul’s resting place. Peace of God is a blessing, a gift of indescribable joy!

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low...
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing! **

Peace belongs in relationships, between God and humanity and to our relationships with each other. Christians are called to ‘let the peace of Christ rule” in our hearts and “be thankful”. Our inward peace usually defines our outward behaviors, the way we respond to difficult circumstances and to others, whether we agree or disagree with them. Inner peace finds its rest in trusting God’s Sovereignty.

Peace is both a greeting and farewell in the Bible. Salutations and valedictions of peace fill Paul’s letters. Jesus greets the disciples, “Peace to you” as they hid after the crucifixion, a time of anxiety and uncertainty. Jesus offers this same peace to His followers today. Greg Laurie writes, “The only way we can experience the peace of God that passes all human understanding is through the blood of the cross... You cannot have the peace of God until you have peace with God.” This holy season I hope your soul knows the joy that comes with the peace of God. Shalom! - dho

**lyrics from It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Edmund Sears, 1849 

2nd Sunday in Advent - Complete Peace

 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

Occurring 429 times in the KJV and using the Hebrew word shalom and Greek word eirene, peace is translated as well-being, prosperity, health, safety, and completeness. Both the Old Testament and New Testament describe this blessing. Scofield offers four references to peace: peace from God, peace with God, peace of God, and peace on earth. Deep inside, each of us desires the assurance of peace. Only God can provide complete peace.

And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-story which they bring,
Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing. **

Jesus Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2:14-17). Peace with God is “the work of Christ into which the individual enters by faith”. Through faith, the repentant heart is given grace, not earned, not deserved. This gift of grace declares the believer righteous, bringing spiritual completeness and reconciliation with God. Christ is the Author of peace, our Mediator. He is Perfect Peace, a gift God gives to the faithful who trust in Him. We bring our need, and Christ meets us. Our unimaginable blessing through Christ becomes peace with God. Shalom. - dho

**lyrics from It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Edmund Sears, 1849

1st Sunday of Advent - Message of Hope

“At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him.” 

Luke 2:13-14 MSG

Peace seems to be a distant hope at times with so much discord in the world. What exactly is peace? How does one find peace? Christianity believes that God is the Source of all true peace; Christ is the Good News of peace to us from God. Peace is the message of the angels the night that Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

“...Peace on the earth, good will to men,  
from heaven’s all-gracious King:
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.” **

Isaiah 9:6 gives us the promise of Christ, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Centuries later, angels appear in the stillness of the night sky, and welcome the Prince of Peace to earth.

This peace from God is a gift; this peace is Divine Grace! As the season of Advent begins, let us reflect up on God’s Promise given, the Prince of Peace for all. Can you feel the stillness of that night on a hillside in Bethlehem? Can you hear the angels sing? Let the peace from God become your message of hope! Shalom! - dho

** lyrics from It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Edmund Sears, 1849

For Friendship’s Sake - Series on Friendship

Then David said, "Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" . . . "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" 2 Samuel 9

One of the most familiar stories of friendship in the Bible describes the enduring bond between David and Jonathan. Upon meeting they recognize an immediate soul-connection, for their friendship finds its foundations in commitment to God. Nothing destroys this friendship, not family drama, not political implications, not territorial battles. These many testings strengthen this God-chosen friendship. A promise of friendship before God endures difficulties.

A lesser known event happens many years later, after King Saul and his son Jonathan die in battle, and David, the Lord's anointed one, becomes King of Israel. David remembers his vow of friendship with Jonathan, "The two of us have vowed friendship in GOD's name, saying, 'GOD will be the bond between me and you, and between my children and your children forever!' " For friendship's sake, in honor of Jonathan, David seeks to find anyone left in this family and desires to show God's kindness to them. Mephibosheth [meh-fib-o-sheth], Jonathan's son, cripple in both feet, is found and brought to King David. Calming Mephibosheth's worries, David tells him, "I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly." From living as an exile as the defeated enemy to becoming like family at the King's table, Mephibosheth's abundant blessings find their roots in faithfulness to a promise! 

God invites everyone to come and sit at His Table regularly, especially those of us who feel unworthy. Communion with God is more than reading the Bible with a cup of coffee, more than bread and wine. This intensely intimate relationship requires me to share heart, mind, and soul in the presence of God. At His Table, all my starvings find nourishment. The abundant blessings that flow over me find their roots in God's faithfulness, in God's promise of redemption, in grace through Jesus, the Promised Messiah. God's Promise is an everlasting covenant of friendship. For Friendship's sake, in honor of Jesus, God says, Come and eat at My table regularly. ~ dho

Series on Friendship previously posted on BreathingRoomForMySoul.com/copyright DonnaOwalt

Relationship Matters - Series on Friendship

He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." 2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

Friendship with God is not evidenced in self-sufficiency, academic knowledge, and social status, or in moral strength, natural ability, and life experience. Arrogance and self-reliant attitudes create barriers between us and God. Our relationship with God develops in our places of poverty - in our places of deepest need. This spiritual friendship finds fertile ground on mountains of despair, along valleys of darkness, in deserts of doubt. Jesus says, "You didn't choose Me, but I chose you!" 

Oswald Chambers writes, "The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends." As God's Kingdom-friends, we become a part of His Bigger and Glorious Plan. Chambers goes on to say, "The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain." Our relationship with God defines our purpose and reveals our priority in our circle of influence. Only through Christ can we be made pure and holy. This holy calling becomes holy work. Within this divine friendship, our weaknesses find Grace and purpose. Relationship matters! ~ dho

Series on Friendship previously posted on BreathingRoomForMySoul.com/copyright DonnaOwalt