Devotion for the Thursday of the Fourth Week in Advent

BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

This will be the last of the daily Advent devotions. I have enjoyed sharing a daily cyber-devotion with you. Until Lent arrives, posts will likely be on a weekly basis with reflections on the Bible texts for the upcoming Sunday. May God bless your Christmas celebrations, travel and family reunions.

Theme for the week: peace

Devotion for the thursday of the fourth Week in Advent (Day 26)

Reading: Luke 1:67–79 (NRSV)

⁶⁷ Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: ⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. ⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, ⁷⁰ as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, ⁷¹ that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. ⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us ⁷⁴ that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. ⁷⁸ By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, ⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

REFLECTION:

In Zechariah’s prophecy, he prophesies the coming of the One who will “guide our feet in the way of peace”. Specifically he sees his son John preparing the way for the coming of this One. Guiding our feet toward peace is an interesting way to think about maintaining peace and avoiding conflict and war. In Zechariah’s time, battles, by necessity had to be fought face to face, and verbal conflict had to be done in person. If one’s feet were guided toward peace, conflict could not occur.

In contrast, in our own time of cyber-bullying and remotely controlled weaponry, we may have to expand Zechariah’s imagery of the way one is guided toward peace. For instances, children, who can attack one another and psychologically destroy each other with Facebook and texting, may need to have their hands and hearts, guided toward peace, as well as their feet. In an another example, those responsible for strategic war planning, who have at their disposal unmanned weaponry, may need to have their heads, hearts and hands turned toward peace.

A complex world needs the all-encompassing guidance of the One who brings light into darkness. When we pray “Stir up your power and come, Lord Jesus.” We are praying for the power of God, a power beyond our comprehension, to come into our complex, conflicted, divided world and bring the peace that passes all understanding.

PRAYER:

Pray for peace in our time, in our homes, workplaces, schools and churches. Pray for peace among peoples. Pray that our hearts, hands, minds, bodies and souls, in addition to our feet, be guided toward peace. Amen