Second Tuesday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
The Advent of Christ: Melodies of Peace
by Monique Ransom
What can the birth of a man 2000 years ago possibly have to do with people who live today? This question came to rest in my thoughts as I was mowing my lawn for the last time this year. I ruminated on it while attempting to avoid disturbing the fallen leaves that provide a safe refuge for the wildlife that overwinters in them. Many of these living creatures help keep pests down and actively pollinate in the garden. Having a habitat can ensure they will be around when they are most needed. Micro-organisms that make soil healthier and stronger feed on the organic matter of decaying leaves, adding more organic matter to the soil. They become like food for the garden, nourishing it through the cold winter so that in spring it bursts with fecundity. Can I make peace with these creatures, while still mowing my lawn?
As I ponder these thoughts in this season of peace, clouds of conflict and war hang over places far distant from the safety of Canadian soil. My Hermana and co-learner at NAIITS, Christina Quintanilla, has a deep concern for friends in Palestine. She wonders, “How will we respond when our global neighbours’ lives are threatened?” As of the writing of this piece, the death toll in Gaza is nearly 10,000. Through our television sets and other sources of media, we are collectively witnessing one of the largest humanitarian crises in our lifetimes. Hamas is not representative of innocent Palestinians who are experiencing this advancing genocide in real time. Meanwhile, the survival of an entire people group of roughly two million men, women, and children is at risk. Among these fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters there are generations of people in Gaza who have experienced a lifetime of oppression, never having known the freedom and peace that comes with living on and enjoying the fertility of their own piece of soil in their own homeland.
Despite the darkness of this reality, there shines a ray of hope lighting the way through.
Early in November, more than 600 of Haifa’s Muslim and Jewish community members gathered together with representatives from the Christian and Buddhist population at Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Mosque, in a demand for justice and a call for a cease-fire. Arabs and Jews have united in the cause of justice and peace. This surprisingly beautiful response of Muslim and Jewish solidarity is a rare but powerful moment. Despite the darkness of the shared reality of the horror that surrounds them, they have chosen to light the way forward, united in the cause of justice and freedom. They refuse to let antisemitism or Islamophobia direct the narrative. Instead, they choose to raise a chorus of harmony and sing a melody of peace.
As we prepare our hearts to welcome the Christ this season, let us consider thoughtfully, and prayerfully the reason Jesus wept over Israel that last time he came through the gates of the holy city. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they missed the peace that was right in front of them. The Prince of Peace was literally standing in their midst, and they did not recognize Him (Luke 19:42). People thought Jesus would bring them peace through an uprising of war. They could not grasp that He came to bring them the deep and abiding peace of Shalom. They missed the manifestation of God setting everything right, that God’s peace through Jesus Christ is the place where all broken things can be restored, and all illnesses of body, heart, and mind can be healed. All these things can be put back together again and restored to wholeness only in Jesus. It is my hope and prayer that globally, followers of The Jesus Way will raise a chorus of their own and in solidarity with those who are seeking peace and refuse to support genocide and oppression. Jesus wept over the city that he loved as He gazed upon it, because He saw their future doom, knowing that a future judgment waited because they did not know their time of visitation (Luke 19: 44).
This Christmas, we will celebrate the Advent of Christ in the warm safety of our homes, surrounded by loved ones. I invite you to remember those who have been denied their own safe refuge and the promise of spring, by experiencing the Holy Land through the eyes of refugees. If you have not had a chance to encounter a personal story of the impact of this war, below is a recording of the story of the Ayesh family as told to Christina Quintanilla and Emily Chiang in their own words. As we move into the season of Advent, I pray that our longing for the Peace of Christ will lead us to accept the gift of listening to their story and that we will stand with them in prayer for lasting peace in Gaza and the surrounding areas. Let our prayers for peace be a surprisingly beautiful melody to the Most Beautiful One as we hold our global neighbours up in love and friendship in our time of waiting.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
https://www.santocollective.com/holylandsgallery
As we reflect on the experiences of the Ayesh family and all those who are affected by oppression and genocide in Gaza and surrounding areas, may our prayers for peace become a call to action to our government in Canada. Let us raise our voices on their behalf to demand a permanent cease-fire here: https://ceasefiretoday.com/
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