Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:06] Speaker A: Pastor Chuck here with another weekday podcast. And I'm really grateful that you've joined me today because this is the second week of Advent. Now, Advent is this kind of holy inhale right when it feels like the world is exhaling its last bit of hope. It's the church saying, hey, we remember.
We remember that Jesus came, that Jesus is here, that Jesus will come again. It's waiting. But not the ancient. He's like, anxious, fidgety, kind. It's expectant, it's awake, it's paying attention.
I can't wait for this.
So in week two of Advent, we light this candle and we call it peace.
Not the paper thin piece of everything's fine, don't ask me any questions. Not the peace that only shows up when your inbox is empty and your kids are behaving and the news is. And on.
No, this is deeper. It's older, it's more ancient, it's stronger. The Bible has this word shalom.
Not just no conflict. Shalom is when everything is in right rhythm with the one who made it. Nothing's missing, nothing's broken. It's wholeness and harmony. The message says it like this. People with their mind set on you, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet because they keep at it and don't quit. That's from Isaiah 26:3. That's shalom. Not because life is perfect, but because trust roots you in a God who doesn't shake when the world does. And then the angels show up over Bethlehem and sing into a dark sky. Glory to God in the heavenly heights. Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
Peace on Earth. On this ground, the same ground that carries wars and worries and broken families and overloaded calendars and empty checkbooks. Jesus doesn't wait for the world to calm down. He steps into the chaos and calls it home with us later, sitting with his friends who are totally freaking out about what's about to happen. Jesus says, I'm leaving you well and whole.
This is John 14 and Jesus saying, I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you, peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left feeling abandoned or bereft. So don't be upset, don't be distraught. You see, friend, peace as a gift not earned, not managed, given.
So how do we live in that kind of peace in divided times?
Well, fix your mind.
What you stare at shapes you. When your thoughts orbit fear, anxiety grows. When your thoughts orbit God, peace grows. Practice graciousness Let your life whisper peace before your mouth says a word. Get after gratitude. Naming what good grounds you when everything else feels shaky. Did you hear that?
Just go ahead. Naming what good grounds you when everything else feels shaky. And then be a peacemaker. Not a peace avoider, not a peace pretender, a peacemaker. Someone who walks toward what's broken, not to win, but to heal again. The message puts it this way. Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness. Everything coming together for good will come and settle you down.
That's from Philippians, chapter four. That sense of God's wholeness is peace standing guard over your heart.
So maybe advent for you and me is this. Learning to wait for the Prince of Peace by living like he's already here. Choosing surrender over control, trust over panic, presence over distraction. So right now, in your car, at your desk, on your walk, on the treadmill, take one deep breath and pray. Jesus, Prince of Peace. I'm tired of trying to hold it all together. Settle my mind, guard my heart. Make me a peacemaker in a fractured world. Rule in me so your peace can move through me. Amen. Amen and amen. Thanks so much for joining me on today's week two of Advent as a special time on the weekday podcast. God bless you, friend. Have a merry Christmas. I'll be back tomorrow. We'll talk a little bit more about this thing called peace. God bless you. Bye now.
