However, upon closer examination, peace (or Shalom as the bible puts it) stems from the Greek word 'eirene', or to heal all that is broken. And as I sat and reflected this week on Hope and Peace, I realized that God was not only calling me to awaken, but also to be at peace with myself - to become whole and complete. Yet, one can only do that through God himself. It seems to be this cyclical paradox that continues to point back to me all the while reflecting around the image of God.
And it's not easy to be at peace with one's self. We all carry around this baggage, the weight of our past transgressions and the reminder that we are not perfect. Yet, in God we have hope that we are not defined by yesterday, but by who we are today. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross DAILY and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever wants to lose their life for me will save it." Luke 9:23 (NIV) We must be willing to let our selfish pride die and awaken to the love God is offering us.
And who other than the virgin Mary to be the perfect model of hope and peace. Why Mary might you ask? The context around why God chose Mary has little detail. The bible says "Greetings, you who are highly favored? The Lord is with you." Luke 1:28 (NIV), when an angel visits Mary. What did the Lord see in Mary that we can draw upon today? God saw favor in her heart, an openness to trust God with all the possibilities that were about to come true. Mary's response, "I am the Lord's servant." Luke 1:38, shows that Mary denied herself and any fears or doubts she may have had and chose to believe and follow God.
Not only does Mary's response inspire me, God's love and leadership amazes me more. As Brain McLaren states, "But here is God gently inviting - not coercing - a young woman to produce a child who will be known not for his violence but for his kindness. This is a different kind of leader entirely - one who doesn't rule with the masculine power of swords and spears, but with a mother's sense of justice and compassion." (We Make the Road by Walking)
Perhaps as we awaken to God this advent season, we will begin to see advent pregnant with possibilities. Possibilities of kindness, compassion, grace, and love. As we are all small parts of this one large body called Christ, we ought to let love be born in our hearts and in this world. When we allow ourselves to have an open heart, we start to see and believe what God is asking of us. Yet, we can only see these possibilities when we let go of our ego-centric, self-centered ways...when we take up our cross daily.
How do we know this is possible? Well, God sent his one and only son to this earth so that the brokenness between humans and their creator might be healed. God loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice what He had just to show us the way! God has offered us an opportunity to find that last 'peace' to our puzzle of life. That peace that will complete us and make us feel whole...and that peace my friends in none other than God himself!
No comments:
Post a Comment