Peace on Earth

The theme for the second week of Advent is peace, and peace is a wonderful thing. It might be argued we have more peace this week at RSCC than last week -- after all, now the hanging of the greens and the Christmas play are finished, and we can relax a bit. Both events were fantastic, don't get me wrong, but it takes a lot of hard work to put events like those together, and if our musicians and actors are like me, they're ready for a break -- ready for some peace and rest before finishing up our Christmas season.

Peace is one of life's necessities. Sure, we talk about the basic physical needs we all have -- food, water, clothing, and shelter -- but rarely do we discuss the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs we have simply as a result of being human. The most important of these may be love, but peace is a close second in my book. Peace can take a variety of forms: peace of mind; financial security; lack of stress; good relationships with other people; living in a land free from war; good health; and many other things, chief among which is living at peace with God.

Fortunately for us, God supplies us with this much-needed peace in the form of His Son. Paul writes in the first half of Ephesians 2:14, "For he himself is our peace." If we lack this crucial element, if we ignore our need for Jesus our Lord and Savior, we cannot know real peace; our lives will forever lack the sense of stability and permanence that are the hallmarks of true peace.

As we draw close to Christmas, I invite you to rest. Acquire a fresh sense of peace in your life. As Christ himself said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 12:28).