The first coming of Jesus was a surprise. He arrived in obscurity, lived at the fringes and few recognised him. The Jewish people had been long awaiting a messiah. The season of Advent looks backward to Jesus’s life, and forwards to Jesus’s open arrival in the future. Advent involves waiting and looking forward. This year, amongst the many Christmas focused events’ we’re going to look forward to peace, hope, joy and love.Have a look at the Bible project’s video on peace:
Peace reminds us that what the followers of Jesus look forward to is not simply the absence of conflict, but a place of rightness and wholeness. There is a “setting right” that we’re called to look forward to and work towards…. What is it that you are longing to be set right ?
If you’re interested in reading notes about the video click here
And a peace related Christmas poem
CHRISTMAS COMES By Anne Weems
Christmas comes every time
we see God in other persons.
The human and the holy
meet in Bethlehem
or in Times Square,
for Christmas comes like a
golden storm on its way
To Jerusalem
determinedly, inevitably
Even now it comes
in the face of hatred and warring
No atrocity too terrible to stop it
no Herod strong enough,
no hurt deep enough,
no curse shocking enough,
no disaster shattering enough.
For someone on earth will see the star,
someone will hear the angel voices,
someone will run to Bethlehem,
someone will know peace and goodwill:
the Christ will be born!
Ann Weems.