Advent Peace

Have you ever wondered when the Peace sign first became the Peace sign.  And then when did everyone start using it that way.  I am sure that I can look back at pictures from my childhood and see me flashing the Peace symbol.  I may have not even have known what it meant, but everyone else was raising two fingers and well …. And even today some, well it’s a lot, of years later the Peace sign is nearly ubiquitous and has the same meaning across nearly every culture.    It’s kind of cool.

The second Advent candle is the Peace Candle and like the word Hope I wonder if Peace’s commonplace has caused Peace to lose some of its meaning, some of its depth.  I remember back in junior high when we learned of the Pax Romano, the Peace of Rome.  A period when the Roman empire was not engaged in any significant conflicts, where the empire prospered and enjoyed relative stability.  A peace which that world had not heard of or experienced before, a golden age.  I often thought that might be true on a large scale but I bet most of the non-Roman citizens living in the Roman Empire didn’t always feel at peace.  And as you look around our own world, Peace seems like a fleeting concept.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word most used for Peace is one you might recognize, the word is Shalom, sound familiar?  But like Hope it really transcends the meaning that we assign to the word peace, the absence of conflict or war.   In Hebrew, Shalom carries with it the understanding of wholeness or completeness.  So, Shalom might be used to describe a wall with no holes or gaps.  It can also refer to something with lots of pieces, a complex system,  that is in a state of wholeness.  

Shalom is also used to describe a person’s well being.  Shalom happens or is realized when life, with all of its complexities, moving parts, relationships, etc. is in a state of alignment.  When something is out of whack, Shalom has broken down and needs to be restored.

That is the sense that Shalom conveys.  So, think about what it means to wish someone peace/Shalom.  It means not only do you wish them peace, but you also wish them wholeness.  And even more, and I hope you are sitting down, it means that you want to help them find their shalom.  In other words, you actively want to help them attain Shalom.  I am dating myself, but Shalom was not realized when Cabbage Patch kids hit the Christmas season several years ago.  Shalom is to heal and reconcile broken relationships, working together in order to do so!

I love that!!

The Prophet Isaiah declares Hope for the Prince of Shalom, and that there word be no end to Shalom - Isaiah 9:5-6.  It is in this understanding of Shalom, that the person of Jesus comes into so much more light.  The Prince of Shalom – peace, restoration, wholeness.  That is real Peace.

So, now the challenge for us is how do we as the body of Christ move from not just the absence of conflict but to restoration and wholeness?  I think it starts by looking more fully at the life of Christ, and how His example can be manifested in our lives, everyday.  

God as we step back from the lights, the wrapping paper and the table – that are all full of life and laughter and love, help us follow the example of your son, who’s birth we celebrate, and who’s life you call us to emulate.  Help us be and do Shalom in our communities.  Amen.