Advent 19

And he will be their peace.

I wish I knew a bit more about other religions on days like today. Because I find myself making assumptions based almost entirely on pretty biased information fed to me through my teen years, about what other religions say about who the creator might be.  One of those assumptions being that those other gods don't come with the offer of peace.

Certainly life doesn't.  America, it's own little religion, gets given the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but never peace.  They're not lovers of peace, our cousins to the south.  Canadians used to think of themselves as peace-keepers but that's kind of old-fashioned thinking now, and anyway, peace-keeping should not be confused with peace-giving. Granted, I'm doing this in a hurry with only one cup of coffee on board, but off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone, or anything else that comes promising to Be Peace.

And this is on the list of reasons why it always comes back to Jesus for me.  This December as Christmas approaches, and always. A God that comes to be with us and to bring us peace.  I want to be in that boat, to steal a line from homegroup.

You?

Micah 5: 2 - 5

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans^[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins^[c] are from of old,
    from ancient times.^[d]”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.
⁵     And he will be their peace.