An Instrument of Peace
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 106:1-18; Zech. 10:1-12; Gal. 6:1-10; Luke 18:15-30
This past Saturday I went to a pre-Advent retreat presented by Scott Stoner, the founder and executive director of the Living Compass, a center that encourages and nurtures spiritual growth. The theme for the morning was peace, a deeper peace than the kind we find as we catch our breath on a busy day. Rather peace that comes from within Christ. Peace that can only be found in the kingdom of God that Jesus came to bring to fruition. The kind of peace that abides no injustice, or cruelty. The kind of peace that outreaches our thoughts, words, and deeds that so often we find in our confessions on Sunday mornings.
The gospel for today features Jesus offering several ways that we can enter the kingdom of God or eternal life. As an innocent child, who has yet to be tainted by false values, who faces the world with a sense of wonder and delight, with a sense of joy. As a wealthy ruler who had been faithful to the torah all his life but was faced with choosing between his material goods and a life that offered more joy than any amount of possessions can provide. Or, the disciples who left family and friends, jobs, and homes behind to follow Jesus, an itinerant preacher with a modest pedigree. What all of these examples have in common is they are all seeking the mystery of Christ, to be close to Jesus, to the Messiah, to have a relationship that is unvarnished by worldly values even though they do not fully understand why.
During Scott’s talk he said, whatever we pay attention to is what will grow. As we enter the season of Advent, the time in the church year when we wait with anticipation for the second coming of the Christ, the Messiah, perhaps we can consider what it is we pay attention to in our lives. Are we focusing on the joy that a simple quiet few minutes of prayer and reflection can bring? Can we approach this time of anticipation with the wonder of a child, or with the deep desire of someone who seeks to simply life’s complications which tend to be barriers to the pathways that lead to Christ? Can we be attentive to those choices we make and intentionally choose the peace that comes from Christ? Can we seek ways to be an instrument of peace as we walk the path of peace that leads to Christ?
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection: Have you considered how you might prepare for the Second Coming of Christ? What might you simplify? How might you find time to notice the ways Christ is inviting us to prayer and quiet listening?