Peace on Earth
“Glory to God in the highest, Peace on Earth Good Will to All.”
Luke 2:14
(a post from Meg Meredith)
I don’t know about your 2020 but mine has gone something a little like this:
Pandemic
Child amputated toes
Experienced racism because of Black daughter
Sold our house in prep for future plans.
In the midst of moving out, my husband got laid off
Surgery
And there are even nuances in between like how it rained for a solid week when we were moving and several friends had COVID, so we moved ourselves by ourselves. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being technically homeless and jobless in the midst of a pandemic, as the season of Advent approaches. If I’m honest phrases like Peace on Earth have felt like a joke. Like irony. And if I’m not careful I can slide into a callous and cynical place where I can easily question the planning skills, resourcefulness, or problem-solving abilities of God. There have been weeks lately where I have cussed more in my prayers than I have said actual intellectual sentences.
Sometimes it’s hard to see things “properly” when you’re swallowed up by what feels hard:
I have grieved a toe this year, as strange as that may sound.
I have grieved plans I thought were His.
I have grieved the loss of security.
I grieved injustices.
But it is inside this grief that has me seeing a new side to the announcement of Peace.
Webster defines Peace as simply the lack of disturbances. Or a time when there is no war or war has ended. It’s also used to describe a feeling of tranquility or assurance. So how can the angels announce such a thing? Their very arrival was a disturbance. Did every suddenly feel tranquil, knowing the Savior had been born? Were they suggesting that this Savior’s arrival was ushering in a time of Peace? Would his birth somehow fix everything that was broken? Was it a challenge or a directive? Was it a really high unattainable bar meant to shame us?
Maybe the Savior’s birth is the perfect representation of how Peace can feel odd:
In the midst of, National and Global Chaos
In a season with more harrow than hope
Against a bleak backdrop
In an unlikely place
Held by unqualified hands
In an unfamiliar way
With an unexpected face
And yet… Emmanuel.
Even after what Jesus accomplished with his birth, death, and resurrection; humans continued to experience (his disciples especially) what I’m afraid Webster would define as disturbances. I don’t believe Jesus meant us to dismiss grief, pain, injustice, or any other real emotion, because he came to us. His birth does not negate the trails of life. In fact, it affirms them. Jesus never asked us to look on the bright side. Or patted us on the shoulder saying, “there, there”, or “you’re fine”. He never once patronized our plight.
He simply sat down into the proverbial trench with us. Emmanuel.
There have been times this past year where the only thing getting me through the day is this
mantra: God is with me.
Inhale: God is with me.
Exhale: God is with me
Repeat.
And Repeat.
We will not experience true freedom from disturbances. God never promised us that. He promised us he’d be with us. Peace on Earth. Good Will to all. But I also don’t believe he meant for us to simply suffer and wait for heaven in order to experience true peace. God promised that we had access to all power in Heaven and on Earth. All the time.
We have access to Peace:
In the midst of, National and Global Chaos
In a season with more harrow than hope
Against a bleak backdrop
In an unlikely place
Held by unqualified hands
In an unfamiliar way
With an unexpected face
because… Emmanuel.
I would venture to imagine that the shepherds experienced Peace, maybe for the first time, as they beheld Jesus’ face. And the world was not free from disturbance. But for a moment, as they breathed deeply in wonder, stared at the odd scene they’d been told to go find, the world was quiet and nothing else seemed to matter. They had no idea what would unfold or what God’s plan was. Yet I imagine, something in their heart stirred. Their souls; moved.
Did they fuss with each other about who was watching the sheep, on the way back to the pasture? Probably. Did one shepherd want to talk about their supernatural evening endlessly verbally processing and one told him to shut up because he couldn’t bear to think about it for another moment? Maybe. Peace probably did not last, that night, because they were human. Ours does not feel lasting, because we’re human. Peace was never meant to erase that experience. It was a gift that was meant to be practiced. He gifted us access to Peace and Good Will. And wants us to figure out for ourselves, how to practice it, how to experience it.
These are some small, moment to moment ways to attain, achieve, and cultivate Peace:
Sit quietly. Repeat something in your mind that helps you know God is for you.
Hold a cup of coffee, close your eyes, and breath deeply a few times. God is with you.
Take a walk in the woods. Breathe. God is with you.
Lay on the floor. Orient yourself. Where is the floor? Where is the ceiling? God is within you.
Do something you enjoy. Allow yourself to enjoy it. God is with you.
Serve someone else. Do it with Love. God is with you.
Even in the dark nights, where I am too swallow up to feel Peace, God is with me.
When I actively practice Peace, God is with me.
When I have the forethought to gift Peace to others, God is with me.
In grief, sorrow, pain, abundance, or joy; God is with me.
Emmanuel is the only one who is not surprised by the disturbances from every side. He is not
distressed or caught off guard. He is the one who is free from disturbance. HE IS PEACE. And
He is with us. Therefore, we have Peace.
Peace on Earth. God is with us. Emmanuel.