"What?"

“What?”
Rev. Tony Romaine

As we continue our journey through the Advent season this year and we explore the great questions which we are all taught from an early age, Who, What, Why, When, Where, and perhaps even How; today we reach the question of “What?”  Specifically, what peace we should focus on during Advent.  But because we should always have a definition to work from, according to Merriam Webster’s (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peace) dictionary, the definition of peace is:

• a state of tranquility or quiet: such as freedom from civil disturbance
• a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
• freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
• harmony in personal relations
• a state or period of mutual concord between governments
• a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
• used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell
• to be, become, or keep silent or quiet

But in order to truly answer the question of what peace is and means for us as Christians, we must explore how peace means we must be both content and discontent. 
See, the peace that we are being called to is a physical peace, but it is also a mental state where we can be happy and joyful and content; indeed peace-filled.  At the same time, the peace that we are being called to as Christians is not a passive peace in which we merely wait for God’s eternal reign to come and then there will be peace.  No, our peace must be one where we actively engage in our world and decide to be the peacemakers, just as Jesus came to teach us.  Thus, our peace calls us to be discontent with the ills of our world and to work for change.  So, as we further define the “what” the peace of Advent, of God, of Jesus Christ is calling us to, let us dive into exploring the concepts of content and discontent.

Peace is a state of being content when we realize and recognize that our God is always with us and we are going to be okay.  Just as the hymn we sang a few minutes ago reminds us, we are to take comfort in God.   Peace is a state of contentment when we listen to Scriptures like 2 Peter that tell us how God is playing the long game and our years amongst all of God’s creation is like a drop in the bucket.  Peace is also knowing that even though I am only one of seven billion people God knows me and every part of me and longs for the best for me. 

Peace is also knowing that because of free will, some things of our world are going to happen which are not within my control.  Peace is being content in how God made me, how God uses me, and the future God has planned for me.  And being content is also trusting and being at peace with not knowing every little bit of my future.  Peace is content when we have bad days or good days, when things go our way or do not go our way.  We are content when we do as the Psalmist asks of us and turn our hearts toward God and then we will be at peace.

And yet in order to truly define the “what” of what God’s peace is calling us to, we must also be discontent.  In a very basic way, we must be discontent when others cannot live at peace; or be content themselves.  We are called by the life and teachings of Jesus to be discontent when society does not allow others to live in peace.  We are called by the life and teachings of Jesus to be discontent when the laws of our world do not allow for peace.  We are called to be discontent when others cannot live into who God made them to be, where God made them to be, what God made them to be.  We must be discontent when the love that God longs for all God’s children is held back from all God’s children.  We are called to be discontent when the peace that we enjoy cannot be enjoyed by all the world.  We are called to be discontent when there are still those in this world who do not know of the love of God.  We must be discontent until that one fine day when all will be baptized by the Holy Spirit and washed in the waters of eternal glory.

See, the “what” of peace is indeed one of being content and discontent.  And yet there is another part to our “what” for today too; the great question that we must all ask ourselves, “What does God’s peace look like for me?”  Yet, I would ask another question too, “In what ways must I move from being content to being discontent and from being discontent to being content?”  Or in other words, “What is it I need to do less of to live into God’s peace, and what do I need to do more of to bring about God’s peace?”

          This is the true “what” that our God is calling us to during the Advent season.  We are a people who have been, and still are, on an extra-ordinary journey this year.  We have had to experience things in one year that the world has not seen for a hundred years.  And in this season where we remember that God burst forth into the world to bring about peace, we are ourselves wondering what peace truly looks like or even means.  But in this manner, we must be reminded that for the Lord one day is indeed like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.  And so, while we are waiting for the peace which comes through Christ to come once again, we must believe in the “what” that God’s peace will bring about.

We must trust in God and whatever our days hold and we will indeed be in a state of tranquility or quiet.  We must work for peace in the communities we live in, within the families we are a part of, within the places we call home and the places we go.  For then we will all be able to join in the peace that is provided for by law or custom.  Not the laws of the state per se, but the Eternal Commandments to love God and love one another. 

You must be happy when you look in the mirror and see the wonderful creation God made in you, when you see the places God has led you, when you see how God works in and through you and then you indeed will be at peace, free from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. 

And when you see that others around you cannot live in this way, when you see how divided our world is and how hate-filled some corners of creation are; extend a hand, make a call, speak out in your corner and work for God’s love to shine.  For then we will all be at peace and be able to live in harmony in personal relations. 

And when all seems lost, or the world seems too big to change, or life seems to be spinning out of control, or you just cannot look in the mirror for the sins you hold onto hold you back; remember the One who came who baptizes with Holy Spirit, remember the One who came to be the Peace of our world, remember the One who came to forgive you and to be your stillness in the storm, your peace and calm; the One who came to remind you just how loved you are, and be content that God was so discontent with the world that He sent Jesus to bring about peace.  What an amazing “what” of peace that is, Amen!