December 6, 2021

Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
   shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
   O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
   and will be glorified in Israel.  Isaiah 44:23

During the past few years, I have experienced peace by eating pizza.

I should make myself clear. It is not so much the eating of pizza that brings me peace.  It’s the good friends I often share pizza with. When we meet, I can be happy or angry, attentive or distant, friendly or edgy. No matter what, I’m always loved and appreciated. It’s the friendship itself that is my place of peace.

I’m privileged to have this friendship, especially at a time in our world during which peace seems elusive. We all have a yearning to be in community and to experience peace. Yet when we look for peace, we often find dehumanization. We make enemies of each other instead of cherishing those with whom we disagree. We use social media to “cancel” each other instead of being generous and direct. We remain uninformed about issues in our communities and our history instead of acknowledging our part in them. We’re all complicit in making people around us less human. And when we do, we move away from the blessing of God, who shows us what we were meant to be in Christ. We make peace elusive.

Isaiah’s prophecy reveals that ancient Israel had done the same. They too had moved away from what God destined them to be, and they were broken as a result. But in the midst of their brokenness, Isaiah delivers a message of renewal and forgiveness from God, using the metaphor of a forest to assure them that God would break through into their world. God would bring a peace that would change all of creation.  

In this Advent season, we wait anew for the God who has broken through into our world in Christ. We anticipate a time when God’s peace will reign over creation, when life in the world will be full and complete. During this time, let us remember that the Christ child was born. Jesus was born. He turned up. He lived out God’s peace in the world.

So may this Advent season be a time that we follow in the way of Jesus by turning up and living God’s peace in the world. May it be that God will use this community of faith to spread “the new” that Jesus brings. Let us be a congregation that fully lives the peace of Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we wait for you anew in this Advent season. Through our community of faith, may your peace spring up and flourish in the world you love so much. 

Andrew Taylor is curious about the significance of being a human creature of God. He loves riding his bike down British Columbia mountains and eating pie made from Nova Scotia wild blueberries. (Also, pizza.)