December 1, 2022

Dear Central Church, 

The second Sunday of Advent invites us to think about the peace that Jesus brings. Peace is a rich word in scripture, but one that has become less significant in our culture. Governments celebrate when armies stop shooting at each other, but a cease-fire is not biblical peace. Biblical peace is deeper than the absence of conflict. 

The Hebrew word that is often translated as peace is shalom. Shalom captures this sense of wholeness and completeness. It envisions human relationships in harmony with one another, moving together towards God’s loving purposes for the world. 

I remember having two young children at home and the conflict that would ensue when one of them wanted what the other had. Fortunately, this never happens now that they have reached the pinnacle of wisdom and maturity known as adolescence, but there was a time when they would fight over stuff. Eventually, I would end the conflict, but I don’t know that I ever achieved biblical peace. 

Our world seems to be filled with people fighting over resources in a similar fashion. Groups of people are not getting what they want, and the strife that fills our public discourse is exhausting. 

Isaiah the prophet envisions something differing. A “shoot from the stump of Jesse” has come into our world. He is the Prince of Peace (Shalom), and he desires to make us into a people of peace who can bring his message of wholeness and reconciliation to the world. 

Isaiah 11:1-10 invites us to ask: Who are the people of God called to be? How does the message of God’s shalom offer hope? Are there relationships in your life that are broken? Do you desire for more than just the absence of conflict and long for the reconciliation that comes through Christ?

Until He’s Finished, 

Pastor Mark