December 9, 2018

Kate Watkins ’19

PSALMS 25, 110; ISAIAH 5:1-7; 2 PETER 3:11-18; LUKE 7:28-35

2 Peter was written for an impatient audience. The author chides early Christian congregations for doubting the second coming of Christ, reminding them that God promises righteousness through Jesus. Christians look forward to Christmas because we await a Savior who will bring “a new heaven and a new earth” [CEB, 2 Pet 3:13]. This epistle writer goes a step farther, though, asking us to not passively wait but actively prepare a peaceful world so that Christ may judge us “pure and faultless” [2 Pet 3:14]. I’m not sure if a couple weeks in December is enough time for us to purify our souls, but Advent can be a useful reminder to reserve some time for meditation and peace-promotion in the buzz of a busy holiday season. How often do we call for peace or send our “thoughts and prayers” without any tangible action? Today I ask you to think about how you are Christ’s hands and feet in the world. What is one thing you can do, maybe that you are already doing, to promote peace in your community or the world? In the words of St. Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love.” Amen.