Advent Devotional Dec 18
Week Four:
Creating Shalom means Making Peace
Sunday, December 18, 2022
“It is Well with My Soul” – Read Matthew 1:18-24
“ . . . Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, . . . he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him . . . .” (vv. 18-19, NIV)
This morning we light the fourth Advent candle, the Candle of Peace. At the same time, however, we recognize that the world is seeing increasing conflict and strife. We don’t have to look overseas for this: America is in the bottom half of countries measured by indicators of peacefulness, and Oklahoma is ranked in the bottom third of US states. As we come closer to Christmas, we see that even the arrival of Jesus is marked by a conflicted Holy Family, forced migration, and the slaughter of innocent children.
Where is the peace that this candle promises?
Horatio Spafford lived in the 1800s. He was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters, and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Bible. One day he suffered the tragic loss of his young son, and then soon after, the loss of most of his investments in the Great Chicago Fire. The family scheduled a trip to Europe to recover, and Horatio’s wife and daughters traveled ahead. Before Horatio could join them, he received a message that their ship had a collision, and all four of his daughters had drowned.
Horatio boarded a boat to join his grieving wife in England. He struggled with the tragedies of his life as he sailed. He finally wrote (in part) the following poem:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, / When sorrows like sea billows roll; /
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, / It is well, it is well with my soul. /
It is well with my soul. / It is well, it is well with my soul.
(The United Methodist Hymnal #377)
Lord, I confess that, too often, I let the circumstances of my life and the turmoil of this world overwhelm my thoughts and emotions. Help me to seek your peace, and bring me to the place where I, too, can say, “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.” Amen.
Anonymous
Local Church Member, the Heartland District
“It is Well with My Soul” – Read Matthew 1:18-24
“ . . . Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, . . . he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him . . . .” (vv. 18-19, NIV)
This morning we light the fourth Advent candle, the Candle of Peace. At the same time, however, we recognize that the world is seeing increasing conflict and strife. We don’t have to look overseas for this: America is in the bottom half of countries measured by indicators of peacefulness, and Oklahoma is ranked in the bottom third of US states. As we come closer to Christmas, we see that even the arrival of Jesus is marked by a conflicted Holy Family, forced migration, and the slaughter of innocent children.
Where is the peace that this candle promises?
Horatio Spafford lived in the 1800s. He was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters, and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Bible. One day he suffered the tragic loss of his young son, and then soon after, the loss of most of his investments in the Great Chicago Fire. The family scheduled a trip to Europe to recover, and Horatio’s wife and daughters traveled ahead. Before Horatio could join them, he received a message that their ship had a collision, and all four of his daughters had drowned.
Horatio boarded a boat to join his grieving wife in England. He struggled with the tragedies of his life as he sailed. He finally wrote (in part) the following poem:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, / When sorrows like sea billows roll; /
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, / It is well, it is well with my soul. /
It is well with my soul. / It is well, it is well with my soul.
(The United Methodist Hymnal #377)
Lord, I confess that, too often, I let the circumstances of my life and the turmoil of this world overwhelm my thoughts and emotions. Help me to seek your peace, and bring me to the place where I, too, can say, “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.” Amen.
Anonymous
Local Church Member, the Heartland District
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