Skip to main content

Reimagining Peace -- Meditation for Advent 2B

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13


1 Lord, you were favorable to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you pardoned all their sin. Selah
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will speak peace to his people,
    to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
    that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
    and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him,
    and will make a path for his steps.

We have been blessed this morning with offerings of music.  These gifts stir the soul and point us onward to the coming of the Promised One, whom Isaiah names “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  This last name calls our attention to the message of the day – for this is Peace Sunday.  Because we have been blessed with such a wonderful array of music, I only have a few moments to reflect on the message of the Psalm for the day, which reveals God’s vision of salvation.

 In Psalm 85, the Psalmist reveals that God’s gift of salvation is found where steadfast love and faithfulness meet, and “righteousness and peace kiss.”  This vision of peace speaks not only of the absence of violence or conflict.  This peace – the shalom of God – has a much broader meaning.  This peace is a vision of wholeness that embraces justice for all creation.  

These past few weeks we have witnessed great unrest due to differences over whether justice was served when grand juries failed to indict white police officers whose actions left two unarmed black men dead.  These differing perceptions remind us that we have not yet come to a point in this nation where justice and peace have embraced each other.  Too often we think that peace is a return to normalcy, but true peace will only come when we allow the Spirit to help us listen to each other and experience through Christ our Lord, restoration of right relationships with God and with one another.

     The Psalmist reminds us that this will only come when we recognize that God is the source of steadfast love, faithfulness, justice, and peace.  The good news is that the way is being prepared.  Yes, as the Psalmist declares: 
Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.  
Having heard this wonderful gift of music, as we move toward the Table of Reconciliation, may we reimagine God’s peace, so that all of creation might experience health and wholeness of body, mind, spirit, and community.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Living Faithfully in Times of Crisis - Sermon for Pentecost 23C (Luke 21:5-19)

  Luke 21:5-19   It’s almost Thanksgiving. The weather is changing, the leaves have dropped, and pumpkin spice is everywhere, letting us know that winter is on the horizon. We also seem to be living in a time of crisis. The United States government suffered its longest shutdown in the history of our country, which only ended late Wednesday evening. People who were working without pay, or trying to figure out how to put food on the table with the suspension of SNAP benefits, are thankful that the government has reopened. However, damage has been done. We can’t forget the war in Ukraine that continues unabated, while the ceasefire in Gaza remains tenuous, and trouble is again brewing in the West Bank. Then there are the political and cultural divisions here at home that continue to get worse, which can make for challenging times at many a family Thanksgiving table. Times like this can lead people to wonder if the end of the world might be at hand.  As we ponder the chal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meeting Jesus, Changing Direction in Life - Sermon for Pentecost 21C (Luke 19:1-10)

    Luke 19:1-10 People often had life-changing experiences when they met Jesus. While not everyone responded positively to his ministry, there were many others who left behind their old lives after they met Jesus and chose to follow him. This was especially true of people like Peter and Andrew, who, along with James and John, left behind their fishing businesses to follow Jesus. Then there’s Levi, who left his tax collection booth when Jesus invited him to join his band of disciples, but not before he threw a banquet for Jesus and his friends. Jesus would add seven more members to his inner circle, but there are others who followed him. Luke also mentions the seventy who went out on a mission. Then there were several women who joined his team after they encountered him, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others who provided for Jesus through their own resources.  Even if they didn’t join the band, there are many other stories of life-changing encounters. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is It Time For a Lament? - Sermon for Pentecost 17C (Lamenations 1)

  Mourners, Pran Nath Mago, 1947 (National Book Trust, India) Lamentations 1:1-6 It is said that American Christians struggle with laments. We like our religion to be positive and uplifting. I understand why. We often go to church when life is difficult, hoping to be inspired, but there are times when we need to be in a community where it’s okay to weep. We need places where it’s okay to share our concerns as well as our joys, a place where we can acknowledge that there are things happening in our world that trouble us. Because we are a religious community, when bad things happen to other religious communities, we’re affected as well. We can empathize with them. So, when news came last Sunday that a man drove his truck into the front of the LDS church in Grand Blanc, shot and killed four members, while wounding eight others, before setting the church on fire, we feel their pain. Next time it could be us. There were also two other mass shootings that day, one in North Carolina a...
Post a Comment
Read more