Fearless Faith

Do not let your hearts be troubled

 

December 8, 2021



Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27 (NRSV)

Most of us are familiar with the Lukan narrative of the Christmas Story. It is the most widely read scripture during the season of Advent. Because of its familiarity, it is often accepted without further thought as an indelible part of the holiday landscape. Calming words for a stress-filled world.

Yet surrounding Luke and deeply embedded in John and other gospels are also calming words for our anxiety ridden society, specifically the references to peace. Not only does Jesus bring peace to the forefront, he presents it as a gift for us, a reminder that the peace the world speaks of is not up to the same standard as that being gifted.

Cessation of overt violence is most often what people envision when peace is mentioned. It is what we imagine to have been brought to us in the form of innocence, a meek and mild newborn for who the world lay in wait. It’s nicely poetic but barely a small portion of a larger picture. A far greater need for peace is found in structural violence that engulfs our days: poverty, cultural distress and distrust, mental health issues, homelessness, and the corrosive effects of social media to name a few. Preaching peace is an exercise in frustration until there is an openness to listen, something that seldom occurs when day-to-day survival is at stake.

Jesus reminds that there are always opportunities to model positive ways of being about our daily lives, ones in which we find ourselves in but not of this world. When we re-orient our thoughts toward the greater good that is within our power to promote, we can begin to embrace the calm that accompanies it. Troubled hearts? Fearful days? Do not be alarmed, you have plenty of company. From that milieu emerges true peace of soul and being, another way of living that builds and restores faith in God and faith in humanity that is so lacking. What shall we choose to see? How will we choose to respond?

Advent will always represent a time of expectant waiting and preparation. It is a time of peace gifted to us in most remarkable ways by a humble first century carpenter. It is personal and purposeful. The peace that is offered goes far beyond surface talk and the norms of Advent as just another part of the liturgical cycle. It becomes a way of living and being that lifts up and sustains, that eschews pettiness and self-seeking glorification, and that declares itself through actions more than words.

Over one hundred times in the Bible there is found the phrase ‘do not be afraid’ or variants of ‘fear not.’ These are more oft repeated than any other sentiment. Why is it then that we should worry so? Christ knows us well. He is aware of the pitfalls of being human but also of the grace that awaits us on our path.

 

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