Imagine with me if you will, the millions of advent wreaths that now rest in protestant sanctuaries worldwide. Last Sunday each one of those, holding three purple candles and one pink, were illuminated by the lighting of the first candle–hope. This week, a second purple candle will be lit and burn brightly, ushering in our desire for “peace” as it flickers alongside the “hope” candle. Together, hope and peace form a partnership as we settle into the second week of advent.

In my high school years and into adulthood, I sang with our school’s honors choir and also in my church’s senior choir.  In those years of vocal experiences, nothing has compared to that of performing Handel’s “Messiah”, specifically “For Unto Us a Child is Born”, his powerful arrangement of the prophet Isaiah’s words from Chapter 9, verses 6-7: 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (emphasis my own)

Peace. Exactly what is this feeling and how is it achieved? The Bible gives us some clues.In Hebrew, the word for peace is shalom. Throughout the Bible, shalom is used in several ways. When people are feeling physically well, others say that they “are shalom” (Genesis 29:6). People who have shalom with God have his protection and blessing (Numbers 25:12). There are hints in the Old Testament that shalom with God is to be an inner state that comes from trusting in him (Isaiah 26:3). However, the Old Testament also talks about Israel having peace with God through a covenant, and that peace is conditional. In the books that describe the founding of Israel and its history, we see how Israel’s people make a covenant with God where he provides peace and protection as long as they do not “turn to folly” (Psalm 85:8). When the nation strays from following God, he withdraws his shalom from them (Jeremiah 16:5). By the time that Jesus appeared on the scene, Israel had been ruled by other empires for centuries, so shalom with God had been absent for a while.

On a broader level, humanity lost peace with God when sin entered the world. From the moment that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity became sinners (2 John 1:8). This put us in conflict with God. The “flesh,” in the sense of sinful desires, became what we follow (Romans 8:7-8). No human being, since Adam and Eve, has been righteous (Ecclesiastes 7:20), which means we are all in a state of rebellion against him. This lack of peace presented a dilemma that the Messiah came to solve. (credit to biblestudytools.com)

Do you remember the popularity of beauty pageants years ago? Beautiful women competed to be named Miss Universe, founded in 1952, Miss International, founded in 1960, and Miss Earth, founded in 2001. Our own Miss America pageant began 102 years ago. Often, one of the contestants was asked to give a profound answer to “What do you think is the biggest issue facing our society today”.  Invariably, each woman usually responded “world peace” as she smiled into the camera, trying to solve a spiritual problem with a humanistic solution. As sincere as these wonderful women desired to display their loving solutions, their attempts to bring awareness to our human condition as sinful people in need of a savior, fell short. 

When the apostle Paul wrote the Book of Romans, he told us in chapter 3, verse 23 “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (emphasis on “all” is mine)

Peace. By definition of today’s numerous headlines telling us about numerous wars being waged around our world, one may think that the absence of war and its conflict is naturally a presence of peace. While I absolutely admit that totally eradicating every war that is being fought entertains a wonderful thought, I know it will not be something I witness in my lifetime. Man has been fighting wars–big and small–since the beginning of time.

Jesus’ own words in Matthew 24: 6-8 tell us “you will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end (of the age). For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

His words that are contained in those two sentences are not meant to cause us fear. On the contrary, if you and I choose to focus on God’s love for His people, and place our “hope” and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, we ARE able to experience the “peace” that only God can give, the very nature of peace described throughout the Bible.

Today, two small candles will burn in countless churches, as the wick representing “peace” is lit.  Light is the absence of darkness. If we consider how many candles will be burning around our world, imagine the amount of light shining to remind us where our true source of peace comes from…not from a “thing”…but a person…and His Name is Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Shalom!