Mosiah 15:18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Peace: the second theme of Advent
This morning, I woke up to a text from one of my dearest friends. Something she has hoped for throughout this year is finally coming to pass. One of the feelings flooding through me at this news was joy—the fourth theme of Advent—but I also felt a deep sense of peace. After months of wondering and waiting and false starts and disappointments, what she hoped for is happening. The turmoil and pain is stilled and replaced with peace.
I first became obsessed with the idea of peace in 2015. We lived in Los Angeles and were season pass holders to Disneyland. During the Christmas season, the ride It’s a Small World is transformed to a holiday wonderland of lights and tiny animatronic statues singing “Jingle Bells.” At the very end, there is an illuminated sign saying “Peace on Earth,” and in my then-postpartum state, it brought me to tears every time (and with a toddler and a baby, we rode it many times). The world feels less and less peaceful all the time. Even before the pandemic and election and cultural reckoning with racism and earthquakes and hurricanes of 2020. Our leaders fling insults at each other. Families argue on social media, unable to look each other in the face. Millions lose their jobs, or their health, or their loved ones.
But Jesus promises His peace. Sometimes that comes in fulfillment of dreams; sometimes it comes through His Comforter and the promises that we still wait for in our own centuries long Advent of His Second Coming. Sometimes, when we think too hard about the waiting, it can be overwhelming and seem hopeless. But we know can trust and know for sure that His peace will come, and the miracle of that is we can then experience a portion of that peace now.
Invitation
When have you felt peace this year? Take a moment and write those moments down—they come to all of us if we are willing to receive and recognize them. Ponder on those moments, and then write down the turbulent places in your life where you need more peace. Pray for the inexplicable comfort of the Holy Ghost to help you in the waiting and experience a measure of peace now.
Song
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” sung by Sleeping At Last