MEDITATING

Ruminate on the word you were drawn to in yesterday’s scripture passage (Isaiah 7:13-14, 9:6-7). What does the word or phrase you have chosen mean to you today? 

COMMENTS

That phrase in the passage from Isaiah that I keep returning to is “endless peace.”  In the midst of the unrest that reigned during Isaiah’s time, he predicts that a Messiah will come and that this Messiah will usher in a new era of peace. 

This is an incredibly chaotic time of year.  Parents try to make ends meet as they strive to create the “perfect” Christmas morning for their children.  Students hack away on their computers trying to write that “perfect” final paper.  Church musicians and liturgists are busy planning the “perfect” Christmas service.  In an era that seems to demand so much perfection, where is this “endless peace” that Isaiah promises?

My gut response as a Christian is “well, obviously Jesus is this endless peace.”  While I know this is true, the answer doesn’t completely satisfy me.  I think that’s because we often ignore the fact that we have to actually make the effort to seek out Jesus Christ, who is “everlasting peace.”  This seeking can be messy and unclear at times.  However I know that if I keep my heart open and seeking, it’s often in the completely unexpected moments I end up finding this peace.

As I read this passage from Isaiah, I know that God understood the frustrations of Israel.  God sends a sign: “…the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel…”  At the time, I’m sure this sign seemed quite unspectacular.  Like many things in our lives, it’s only by stepping back that we realize the true gift that God is offering us.  God offered Israel a powerless child that will bring endless peace.  God offers us this same gift.  May we keep our hearts open to receiving this gift of endless peace as we move through the journey of Advent.

Which word or phrase spoke to you?

Messianic Predictions, Thomas Ingmire, © 2005 The Saint John’s Bible, Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, Copyright 1993, 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.