Prepared for Peace
Have you noticed how old-school vinyl record albums and turntables have made a comeback? A little hole-in-the-wall record store, here in town for decades, is even surviving the pandemic because people suddenly want their music played with a needle instead of some digital device. My daughter has taken up this practice and came by yesterday to borrow my decades-old Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis (among others) albums to help her family celebrate the season. It took some serious digging on my part to find those old LPs. Little did Wendi and I know when we sold our turntable years ago at a garage sale, that my kids—and even grandkids—would be listening to Christmas albums we had long ago packed away in an over-packed garage! But for me, knowing the old albums are being brought to life again, during this very challenging “most wonderful time of the year,” helped make it a little more wonderful.
Many are wondering about the wonder of Christmas because of what’s happening in our world. For many, that’s because they are typically looking in the wrong places to find it. Materialism and dysfunctional family relationships tend to overshadow the true meaning and joy of Christmas. The anticipation of good things versus the reality leaves them lacking. In the end, they're deficient in the kinds of peace, love, hope and joy they anticipated Christmas would deliver.
Two thousand years ago, the first Christmas morning was preceded by anticipation, anticipation of the arrival of a messiah. We officially commemorate the anticipation of Christ’s arrival with a tradition we call “Advent.” Advent means arrival. The Advent season in our culture is characterized by certain annual rituals, religious and cultural. It is also marked by an atmosphere of heightened anxiety. The shopping frenzies, the expectation of desirable and undesirable gatherings, along with the pressure of the clock ticking as the year evaporates, all produce anything but peace. Yet, just like in the beginning of the first century, people long for peace more than anything else they anticipate.
The Roman government governed through a dictatorship that brought forced “peace”—the Pax Romana—through brutal oppression. The people of God, with a great sense of hope, sought the promised Messiah—a powerful savior who would overthrow the Romans and re-establish the kind of theocracy they read about in their Scriptures. They anticipated a kind of “peace through strength.” However, they were confused as to the nature of the peace and the strength this savior, the Savior, would bring.
They knew the King was coming, but they didn’t know exactly when. They also weren’t fully aware of what to look for. They had missed some of the signs and the true nature of the Prince of Peace, coming as a “suffering servant.” They were ready for Him in terms of a general sense of hope. The atmosphere of hope was almost palpable. Unfortunately, most weren’t ready enough to recognize Him when He did arrive.
There are parallels today in terms of the general sense of hope during the holidays. The atmosphere of hope, too often misplaced and leading to anxiety, is nearly as intense as it was prior to Jesus’ birth. Christians aren’t immune from hope with a wrong focus this time of year. Then they wonder why they experience no more peace during and after the holidays than their secular neighbors.
Regardless of the craziness of the season, the anticipation of celebrating Christ’s arrival should provide peace for the believer, a peace that transcends circumstances. Part of that is knowing that we not only celebrate His first advent, but we joyfully anticipate the fact that Jesus is coming again! Are you prepared for that one? Would you recognize Him if it happened today?
As you get ready for this Christmas, experience the peace that doesn’t come from being ready for December 25, but being ready to see Him, whenever that happens!
“Yes, I am coming quickly.” —Revelation 22:20