The second Sunday of Advent we light the candle of peace to express our yearning and prayer for peace – true shalom. The reading for this Sunday is Isaiah 11:1-10, which gives us a most beautiful description of peace:
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
I read a devotion recently, which reflects this vision of God’s peace.
POWER AND VULNERABILITY
In God’s peace, power and vulnerability lie together. This peace does not ignore conflict or difference; rather in this peace the vulnerability in power and the power of vulnerability become companions. Neither threatens the other; instead the friendship of power and vulnerability transforms expected hostilities into deep, deep peace. When we read these ancient words, we can feel it: This peace is what God means for our lives.
Prayer:
Spirit of the Lord, disciple us in the ways that lead to your holy mountain. We pray now for our enemies, whom we name in our hearts. We pray for ourselves, that we may transform our hostilities and fears into an openness to your possibilities. Where there seems to be no way, help us find the way. Amen
Pamela D. Couture
Found in Alive Now
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Carolyn