Wednesday, December 11-Peace
Luke 3:1-6
During Advent we celebrate the history of a God who comes to us and meets us in our wilderness. We begin with remembering the wilderness of the Israelites and God’s presence with them there. We remember John the Baptist in the wilderness fulfilling the prophecy and preparing us for the arrival of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with Us. And we can find peace knowing that God’s faithfulness remains today and that God will continue to meet us in our wilderness. This season is a beautiful opportunity to focus on the “witness” of God–to perhaps lift our gaze from our petitions and the circumstances we hope God will remedy to bring us peace–and to seek our peace in God’s presence.
This passage reminds us that we are called to preparation, to remove the obstacles that we permit to come between us and God. Clearing the path sometimes means removing distractions. Sometimes it means making amends. Sometimes it means becoming aware of the gods that we might proclaim not with our mouths, but that are evident in how we live our lives. Sometimes it means combating the lies that we’ve come to believe about our identity and where our value comes from. Sometimes it means adopting disciplines of prayer, meditating on truth, reflection, rest, etc. so that we can recognize the presence and goodness of God in our midst and reflect them more clearly in our world. We clear the way and practice disciplines of awareness so that we can witness and experience the salvation and redemption of God.
What needs to be cleared away to prepare the way for God to meet with you? What is preventing you from experiencing God’s presence in this season of your life?
Advent is a time where we experience the “already/not yet” dichotomy most intensely, where we celebrate a God who has already come to us and where we still long to see that redemption carried out in its fullness. May we remember that we are recipients and distributors of the hope, peace, joy, and love of God’s kingdom. We make room to remember both of those roles when we bask in the presence of a God who comes to us.
HOLLY YINGER