Advent 2012: Disturbing the Peace
Did you notice I did not post an Advent blog yesterday? Maybe, like me, you feel like the holiday season is the least peaceful time of your year. There are always places to go and people to see. Lists take longer than usual to complete. The events calendar is so filled, it appears black. Dark moods fill our cups of good cheer.
Herod had many dark moods. In the time of the Pax Romana, Herod's paranoia became paramount. What did the star shining incessantly in the sky mean to him? His reaction to the Magi gives a glimpse. His actions shed light on his true character.
When compared to Herod, it is easy to feel wise. But, what about lacking personal peace in a season of desiring "peace on earth, goodwill to men." What light does that shed on my character? "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all of Jerusalem with him." The Magi saw the star and knew it meant a great king had been born. King Herod must have missed the star's significance if he had to consult the chief priests about the Messiah's birthplace.
I missed something yesterday: our family Advent reading. I was ordering Christmas cards and preparing for Christmas programs even as I was making dinner, getting kids here and there, helping them complete their schoolwork. But, missing this particular reading disturbs me.
Luke 2:1-20: The Birth of Jesus.
Poetic Reading: "Christmas Wonder," "Stained Glass," and "While Bethlehem Sleeps" (Shepherds...)
Family Reading: Bartholomew’s Passage –Week Two: Wednesday and Thursday
Through our reading, God's light illuminated His story anew for me. Did it disturb Joseph and Mary to lay Immanuel in a manger? Didn't the angels disturb the shepherds' peaceful watch? What was it they said?
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Glory to God, indeed, for His divine disturbance with His perfect peace!