By Todd Paetznick, December 7, 2023

The second Sunday of Advent directs our reflection toward peace.  In 2023, there is little peace in the world; war, destruction, hatred, and division seem constant.  One might ask, where is the peace that was supposed to accompany the arrival of the Messiah over 2,000 years ago?  It certainly is not anywhere we might look.  

But the peace spoken of in biblical prophecy is between God and man, not the kind of peace between factions of people with other people.  Finding our peace with God should be more critical to each of us since it has eternal implications.  As enemies of God, which is what we once were, we are subject to execution (Romans 5:10).  The good news is that God made the first move in peace negotiations, and his terms are reasonable.

Look at this passage from the prophet Malachi regarding the reasons behind judgment coming to the Jewish people over 2,500 years ago.  “Then I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, those who oppress the wage earner in his wages [or] the widow or the orphan, and those who turn away the stranger [from justice] and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of armies”(Malachi 3:5 NASB20).  Old Testament experience shows us a side of God that does not tolerate human behavior that deviates from God’s expectations and instruction.  

Despite what some people want to believe, the God of the New Testament is the same one that existed in the Old Testament.  Jesus was hard on the Jewish religious leaders, the scribes, and the Pharisees, who knew the Old Testament teachings but neglected to follow them.  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these [are the things] you should have done without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23 NASB20).

People want to believe in a god who only loves us in a permissive way, meaning we are permitted to do whatever we want, and that god will always extend his grace and forgiveness to us because that is how he operates.  However, that perception of God looks nothing like the one that exists in the Bible.  In the Old and New Testaments, God demands that his followers extend justice and mercy to others and be faithful in their relationship with Him.  Jesus specifically called out the religious leaders for lying, oppressing their workers, and denying justice to widows, orphans, and foreigners.  God’s expectations for religious leaders may be equally applied to His expectations for Christian businesspeople.  What we do for others matters to God.  The Great Commandment, reiterated by Jesus, is fulfilled when we love God and people (Luke 10:25-37).

During this week of Advent, we are directed to reflect on the peace we can experience with God.  God’s peace terms require our complete surrender and allegiance to him.  As enemy combatants, justice requires our execution.  But God models grace and mercy for us, made possible through Jesus becoming a person, living a perfect life, being executed in our place, and being raised back to life through God’s power.  We are offered the gift of eternal life and even adoption as sons and daughters of God.  The least we can do in response to this gift is to do as He asks and seek justice and mercy for other people, and be faithful to His commands. We can enjoy peace with God and peace on earth.  

About Advent.  For God-followers, the Advent season is an annual reflective preparation for the celebration of Christmas.  It takes place over the four Sundays before the anniversary of the arrival (advent) of Jesus.  Each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas has a symbolic candle to be lit to direct people’s thoughts and hearts toward the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the birth of Jesus.  The first two weeks have purple candles symbolizing hope and peace.  The candle on week three is pink, symbolizing hope.  And the candle on the fourth week is white, representing love and the arrival of Christ.  Over the next few weeks, I will follow the Advent calendar theme for the week and draw a connection with vocational thought.