By Travis Pollard

We read that God created the world and all that is in it in six days, then on the seventh He rested.

God looked at all He had created and said that it was good. Everything operated in the way it was

designed. All of creation dwelled together in perfect peace. This might sound like a far off story,

but it is what we were all crafted to experience.

Can you imagine what this peace must have felt like?

Maybe take a step closer and begin to imagine the most peaceful moment you can remember.

Notice with curiosity what you are sensing. What do you see? What can you feel? Are there any

sounds? Do you notice the scent of the scene? I wonder if you could taste something soothing.

This is but a glimpse of the Peace experienced in the Garden.

Imagining such peace might be difficult for you to engage with because you might not have any

memories you can recall that resemble peace. Our perfect peace was broken and distorted in the

same place it was brought together.

After the Fall in Genesis 3, we have been cursed with pain,

suffering, toil, enmity, and great tension. These curses are a direct disruption of the peace God

orchestrated in His creation. You have been affected by this directly. Your pain, sorrow, trauma,

broken relationships, and suffering are all real experiences. They scream loud that there is an

absence of peace on Earth. They scream loud that we yearn for peace once again.

Advent season is a great celebration of the most intrusive infiltration of peace the Earth has

experienced since the dawn of creation.

If you have a candle near you, or Advent candles, take a moment to light the Peace candle. It is

usually purple to represent the royalty and sovereignty of Christ.

That night when Jesus was born, the Scriptures say, a host of Angels proclaimed that Peace was

brought to Earth.

Even the Angels knew the Earth had suffered without any peace for so many years, as they

celebrated their announcement. A glimpse of hope. God will restore His peace back to His

creation. The savior of the world is here. The only savior that will bring us peace.

The savior of the world is here. He has brought with him peace. Abounding peace.

His word says that we are to shod our feet with the Gospel of Peace. This Gospel infiltrates all of

existence; nothing is not affected by it. With the Gospel comes peace. In your own story, as you

walk in the truth of the Gospel, notice how peace ensues.

We celebrate the first coming of the Christ this Advent season, while we anticipate earnestly his

second coming. You have the ability to experience peace here on Earth because Jesus came to

redeem us.

You may revel in the graciousness of God that He would grant you peace in your specific

circumstances. He knows your story. As you remember His story, meditate on His peace.

While here on Earth, we will not experience perfect peace. You will still face trials and suffering.

There will be moments where you cry out for peace. Moments of sickness, chronic pain, great

loss and grief, distorted or even abusive relationships, and deep sorrow or anxiety.

In these moments we look to the promise of Christ’s return. He is coming back. He will restore

the righteous and all of creation to His perfect peace.

Listen to what the prophet Isaiah says in Chapter 11:

6And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion [a]and the fattened steer will be together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
10Then on that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal flag for the peoples;
And His resting place will be [b]glorious.
Peace will be fulfilled once again. For you, your neighbor, and all of creation. There will be no
more enmity, no more pain, no more suffering.
There will be peace.
Abounding peace.

A Liturgy

We praise you, O God, for the promise of Peace you have embodied in Christ
For You have not turned your face from our toil and suffering
Bless you, O Lord, for the grace you have gifted us in the flesh of Jesus
We eagerly anticipate His long-awaited arrival
Indeed, a day is coming where we shall embrace your perfect peace
A day in which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the savior of the
world
Until then, grant us, O Lord, the awareness of the peace you have already brought in the midst of
the tension
Teach us to rest in You until that glorious day in which you will restore Your creation
Let our lives be a testimony of Your greater narrative as we yearn for Your presence
Praise be to God for the already established and not yet attained peace on earth
Amen.

To access an audio version of this reading and printable booklet with reflection questions, including the five other Advent readings written and recorded by the counselors at FLCC, visit www.fulllifecc.com/advent-readings-the-collection/