Advent 2024 | Week 2: Peace
On having God's peace when the world is in turmoil | Peace Sunday | Advent Series 2024 | Emmanuel, God with us | Jesus Christ | Christianity
December 1, 2024: Hope | December 8, 2024: Peace | December 15, 2024: Joy | December 22, 2024: Love | Christmas Day 2024
Our Advent Peace Journey
How We Need the Prince of Peace!
Early yesterday morning (Saturday), I drove my car to church with a clear-blue sky surrounding me as my dashboard displayed 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). The event at church was the annual Christmas-time Family Breakfast for young families and their kiddos. My heart was at peace knowing how much fun everyone was going to have, until I drove into the commercial district of my town.
Along the four-lane highway, dozens of U.S. flags on tall poles fluttered in the gentle breeze, and interspersed among them were the flags of the U.S. armed forces (alphabetically): Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps., and the Navy. I drove past several cars and trucks parked along the highway’s shoulders, and saw military veterans pull even more flags on poles out of the vehicles. They do this on our Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day, but why yesterday morning?
Something deep in my brain reminded me and tears flooded my eyes. Saturday, December 7th, is Pearl Harbor Day, a day “…that will live in infamy” (President Roosevelt, “FDR”). As I drove, memories overwhelmed me of what my loved ones told me about Pearl Harbor and how that day, and the long war that followed, radically changed their lives forever. My parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles—all gone, now—shared their stories so we in the next generation would never forget. I was born over ten years after WWII had ended, and yet my relatives’ shared experiences became a significant part of my life’s narrative. My dad’s favorite cousin was in the Army Air Corps., and his plane was shot down in the Pacific Theater, his body never recovered. If I had been born a boy, my parents were going to name me after him.
December 7, 1941, was my family’s (and their generations’) September 11th.
This year, the war drums continue to beat and pound in many places around our beautiful planet, and new war drums threaten new conflicts.
How I long for the Prince of Peace to come again.
Peace Sunday
This Sunday, we light the second of the three purple candles, the Peace candle (also called the Bethlehem candle).
What is peace?
Certainly, yes, peace is the absence of conflict. And, it’s so much more as we can learn from both the Hebrew word (shalom) and the Koinē Greek word (eirene) for peace.
Shalom, Covenant Keeping
“Shalom is a multifaceted Hebrew word that encompasses a range of meanings related to peace and completeness.
In ancient Israel, shalom was a common greeting and farewell, reflecting a desire for the recipient's overall well-being. The concept of shalom is deeply rooted in the covenant relationship between God and His people, where peace is seen as a divine gift resulting from obedience to God's laws. The pursuit of shalom was central to the social and religious life of the Israelites, influencing their laws, ethics, and community interactions.”
[ Source: Strong’s Concordance: 7965, shalom, שָׁלוֹם - BibleHub.com ]
Shalom was of great important to the Israelites. And yet, God’s people struggled with keeping the covenant He blessed them with. The Old Testament records their faithful times and, tragically, their faithless and disobedient times which resulted in their exile to foreign lands.
And yet…
Isaiah 9:6-7 (BSB)
6 For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
God always had a plan for He knew the hearts of His people. He kept His covenant, and He promised and provided us a way out of sin and death and into a right relationship with Him through Emmanuel, truly God and truly man, Jesus our prince of peace.
Eirene, Jesus’ Covenant Keeping
Romans 5:1 (BSB)
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
“In the New Testament, "eiréné" is often associated with the peace that comes from a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, as well as the peace that believers are called to maintain with one another.
In the Greco-Roman world, "eiréné" was commonly understood as the absence of war and conflict, a concept highly valued in a time of frequent military campaigns. However, the biblical concept of peace extends beyond mere absence of strife to encompass a holistic sense of well-being and fulfillment. In the Hebrew tradition, this aligns with the concept of "shalom," which includes completeness, soundness, and welfare. The New Testament writers, influenced by this rich Hebrew understanding, present "eiréné" as a divine gift, often linked to the work of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.”
[ Source: Strong’s Concordance: 1515, eirene, εἰρήνη - BibleHub ]
Peace. Eirene. That comes from a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Peace. Eirene. A divine gift from Father God through the work of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:27 (BSB)
27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
Oh, there’s so much I could go into regarding the peace that only Jesus can give us, as the ultimate high priest and sacrificial Lamb of God! His peace truly restores us to completeness, spiritual wholeness, and well-being with God the Father.
Jesus’ peace is so wonderful that even though the angels cannot fully understand our salvation, when the prince of peace was born (His first coming), they erupted in song, surprising the humble shepherds.
Luke 2:13-14 (BSB)
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men
on whom His favor rests!”
What a scene! Can you even imagine? (I try.)
Let’s Practice Shalom and Eirene
Dear readers, I confess my heart’s a bit heavy. This past week, I’ve read about the recent events in Syria. Sisters and brothers in Jesus are either fleeing for their lives (by the thousands), or they’re surrendering themselves to martyrdom by staying with those who are too weak to flee.
And yet…
Even when our hearts may feel heavy and burdened by what has previously occurred in the world, by current conflicts, and by the threat of future wars, we can lean into our prince of peace, who gave completely of Himself during His first coming to restore us to the Father.
As we light the Bethlehem candle, the candle of peace, may we not only meditate on why Messiah came, may we also seek His shalom, His eirene while we await His second coming (or wait for Him to take us home before He comes again).
Romans 8:35-38 (BSB)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:“For Your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These verses of assurance give me great peace/eirene. I wish you shalom, dear readers.
Your Turn
If you have time this week, visit the two links above to the Strong’s Concordance references and read more about shalom and eirene. Then, watch the video at the end of this post.
Also, think of your favorite verses on the theme of peace and our redemption through Christ Jesus. Share them with a friend, if the Lord leads you to do so.
Video
BibleProject - Peace (3 mins 48 secs)
Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Conversation & Community
Let’s talk about peace, God’s shalom/eirene:
What is it about Jesus’ first coming that gives you peace today?
What is it about Jesus’ promised second coming that gives you peace for the future?
As always, feel free to send me an email:
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Great post and video. Ever since I started having eyes for eternity, I have felt so much calmer inside. I now study daily, feeling drawn to hear the word of God before anything else. Then I go about my day after thanking Him for it. Now if I could only feel that same peace for my children's futures. At this point with them grown and gone, all I can do is pray for them that they too will come to know this peace.
Peace be with you, Jenise and bless you for your service. 🙂🙏
Shalom y’all 😊 Being complete!