Last
Sunday we heard of the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, announcing
that Elizabeth and Zechariah were to have a child. Zechariah was unable to speak, but now after
the birth, he we have this spoken song, this canticle recorded by Luke.
The
canticle tells of the place of God in the history of Israel;
of God speaking
through the prophets;
of the
covenant with Abraham;
and then
Zechariah moves into the future, and speaks of this child, John, as the one who
will prepare the way for the Lord.
For Luke salvation
or liberation is not primarily about political freedom. John’s
role in preparing the way for the coming one is about forgiveness of sins, not
gathering an army to overthrow the Roman occupiers. In the same way, the
Messiah leads people on the path of peace, not violent revolution. Salvation means “We'll live in your light and
be guided in peace.”
Serving
God without fear, and living as the forgiven and freed people that we are; our
whole life dedicated to living as God’s people, as followers of Christ with his
passion for justice. [Texts for Preaching,
CD-ROM Edition] and [Sacra Pagina – Luke by Luke Timothy Johnson]
One of my
favourite subjects at school was science, and I am now going to show you
something from physics.
[slide of
stable and unstable equilibrium from Wikipedia]
The first
picture shows unstable equilibrium, that is if the ball is moved even a small
amount, the ball won’t go back to the same place. The second picture shows
stable equilibrium, that is, if the ball is moved it will go back to where it
was.
In
thinking about peace, there are times when it is like holding our breath, we
know it isn’t going to last, it is in unstable equilibrium. A stalemate more
than peace.
We see it
in our families, as well as in world conflicts. I can remember times when my
father and I weren’t arguing, but it wasn’t peace, it was a lull before the
next round. My grandmother talked of being able to cut the air with a knife. Those
of you who have lived with teenage girls may know what I mean.
What would
it look like if we did live in the light of Christ, walking the way of peace? A
song we sometimes hear at this time of year is “my grown up Christmas Wish” the
chorus goes
No more
lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal our hearts
Everyone would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end.
That wars would never start
And time would heal our hearts
Everyone would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end.
What is on
your Christmas list this year?
It is fine
to ask for peace from war, but what about peace in our families, actual peace
not ceasefires. What about peace in our hearts?
Sound all
too idealistic, but if peace doesn’t start within us, we can’t live in peace
with our neighbours.
Last week
we thought about hope, and the ways in which we might be able to bring hope into
the world. Today I have some stars, and you are invited to write down one way
in which you are a prophet for peace or one way that you would like your life to
show the peace of Christ.
These will
also go in and around the manger.
group
singing
: You bring peace but not as the world gives,
Advent is
a time of waiting, of watchful preparation for the coming of the one who is the
prince of peace, the one who enters our lives, bringing peace. Peace from fear
and anxiety, peace that is life affirming and transforming. Peace that is durable.
Maybe then we will live in God’s
light and be guided in peace.”
Let us take a moment to reflect on
what God is saying to us today.
