“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1: 78-79
Advent marks the start of the Christian year and the promised coming of a Messiah. It is fundamentally about beginnings. Yet, many of us are not thinking about beginnings this Advent Season. We are wishing instead for endings.
When will this pandemic end? When will the divisiveness in our cultures cease? When will we end our selfishness and share resources, like COVID-19 vaccines, equitably?
As I sat in meetings in Nashville this week, I watched my news feeds light up with reports about another school shooting; this time in my home state of Michigan. My heart was in my throat and breaking as I again wished for an end.
When will the gun violence stop? When will we stop valorizing firearms in this country? When will it no longer seem risky in the U.S. to send our children to school?
In wishing for these endings, I turn for hope to this passage of Scripture in the Book of Luke. The passage promises the coming of a Messiah who will illumine the valleys of our shadows of death and bring to an end those things that plague us. This coming Messiah is a savior to whom we can turn in the face of yet another school shooting, another COVID variant, another instance of racial violence, another unkind word. This savior will bring all of this to an end by guiding “…our feet into the way of peace.”
This is not just a promise, but a call to Christian disciples and to the Church. The Church, as the tangible expression of Christ on earth, must model new beginnings by allowing God to guide our feet in the ways of peace. Here are some ways we might do that:
· By blessing others rather than cursing them.
· By binding up the broken hearted.
· By praying without ceasing.
· By pouring ourselves out like Christ did.
· By refusing the ways of violence and fear and by embracing the ways of love.
Let this be the example of our lives even as we pray for a still hurting world.
Gracious God,
We hold before you all of the children of Oxford High School and their families, the teachers and administrators, first responders, and that whole community. Bless them with your love, compassion and healing. Bind up their broken hearts and their traumatized spirits. Bring them peace that surpasses understanding and help us all to be purveyors of peace.
Help us, in the midst of this pandemic, to consider other’s needs above our own, especially the needs of the most vulnerable. Help us to bless others rather than cursing them through our words or our actions. And give us, as followers of Jesus, grace to walk in his ways, and in so doing, to bring about new beginnings. Amen.
-Advent Candle picture from UM Resources, credit Kathleen Barry