Peace On Earth
2003 Advent Devotional Collection
Wednesday, December 3
Scripture for Today: John 14:25-29
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27
I know Christmas will be different this year. The beloved Matriarch of our family will not physically be present at our gatherings. I was worried that our great sense of loss and sadness would surely overshadow all of our traditional festivities and we would have no “Peace on Earth” for Jesus’ birthday celebration. How could we get through it?
I believe the lesson God seems to want us to learn now is
this: Peace does not come to us from any other person. In fact, it does
not come to us from anything outside ourselves. It is available to us
at any and every moment. We need only to turn within and we will find
the gift of peace waiting there at the core of our being as the presence
of God. In the stillness of our hearts we are reminded that we are never
alone. God is with us and a few quiet moments connected to Him can restore
us in a way that nothing else can.
Will there still be a lot of tears mixed with our celebration?
You bet there will be! The peanut brittle, caramels and chocolate chip
cookies will be made by the less talented among us, if they’re made
at all. The white date cake, made in the shape of a Christmas tree, with
boiled icing and coconut, presented on the fifty year old blue Fiestaware
plate, won’t be a part of the dessert menu. Hand sewn gifts made
with a great-grandmother’s love with be noticeably absent under our
tree.
Yet Jesus’ birth fulfills a promise. God sent His own son to be born and live and die among us. If we choose, we can be filled with peace, secure that she rests now in perfect, eternal peace with Him and some day we will too.
Prayer for Today:
God of all our seasons, you are with us in happiness and hold us up in
grief. As we prepare for the birth of your son, Jesus, we are reminded
today of your promise that we are never alone and when our hearts rest
in you, we find peace. Amen.
Mary Jane O.
Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
(217) 428-4336