Advent Peace in an Anxious World

By Abi Lorenz

The Advent season is a time of anticipation, when we eagerly await the arrival of Jesus. As a child, I woke up throughout Advent eager to be the first of my siblings to reach the Advent calendar each day. Although my excitement may have stemmed partly from the gifts under the tree and partly from my competitive desire to outrun my siblings, this nevertheless instilled a sense of anticipation that Advent is meant to cultivate in all of us. Along with this sense of expectancy, Advent invites us to reflect on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love throughout each of its four weeks.

Yet as I reflect on Advent now, I wonder if the realities of the Christmas season have dimmed our experience of these themes. Recently, I asked a group of high school students what feelings come to mind when they think of Christmas. While some of them expressed feelings of joy and excitement, many shared negative emotions such as stress, grief, and frustration. While these feelings are not universal, they do reflect a world that is lacking the four themes of Advent, especially peace.

The Weight of Our Reality

It does not take long to notice this shortage of peace, whether that be relational conflict, inner turmoil, political division, or spiritual restlessness. For the last several years, this has been evident as we’ve seen rising rates of anxiety (especially among younger generations), increasing political polarization, and a growing number of broken families, among other concerns. Yet this disconnect between the promises of Advent and the weight of our reality is nothing new.

_

 “While He came into this world over 2,000 years ago, His peace still speaks into our lives today.”

_v

This tension has been present throughout history, as seen in the time of Isaiah when God’s people faced immense political instability, oppression, and fear. In the midst of that, Isaiah declared the well-known prophecy of the coming Messiah in Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This prophecy breathed hope into the bleak circumstances God’s people were facing.

Fast-forward to the time of Jesus’ arrival. The world was not without oppression, uncertainty, and unrest under Roman rule. Into this world came God’s solution to humanity’s longing for peace: a baby born in a manger. On that night, the angels appeared to the shepherds proclaiming in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Prince of Peace was born, breaking into our reality in the most unexpected way. While He came into this world over 2,000 years ago, His peace still speaks into our lives today.

In the midst of our own restlessness, anxiety, and division, we can experience peace this Christmas season by looking at its deeper meaning. Typically, peace is understood as the absence of conflict or hostility. With this in mind, people often attempt to achieve peace in one of two ways.

First, they try avoidance, believing that ignoring conflict will somehow make it go away. In reality, avoidance often causes hostility and division to grow deeper.

Second, people try to control the situation through dominance and even violence. This was the way many hoped the Messiah would come, with great military strength to overthrow the Romans and impose order. Just as with avoidance, control and violence only lead to greater hostility.

_

 “… we may not be able to solve every major conflict in the world, we can model the life of Christ by entering into the broken situations and the tension around us, doing our part to bring restoration.”

_v

Restoring Shalom

Jesus offers a different way, redefining peace beyond the ideas we often hold. This is displayed in the Hebrew word for peace in Isaiah 9: shalom. Shalom does not merely signify freedom from conflict, but refers to the idea of wholeness and completion, even amid complexity. The world Jesus entered into as a baby was complex to say the least, but rather than keeping His distance from human brokenness and sin, Jesus entered into it, not to control, but to restore.

True peace is restorative. It is a peace that brings two enemies to not only stop fighting, but to work together for the good of one another.

So what does this mean for us this Christmas season? While we may not be able to solve every major conflict in the world, we can model the life of Christ by entering into the broken situations and the tension around us, doing our part to bring restoration. Colossians 3:15 admonishes us to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

This is not a passive invitation; it is a call to first allow the Prince of Peace to enter our hearts to restore what is broken within us. Then, it is a call to live with that same posture toward others, participating with God in bringing hope and healing into the world. Rather than avoiding or controlling, we get to contribute to wholeness and completion. Shalom moves our eyes outward to transform our families, friends, communities, and world through the power of Christ.

So this Christmas, may Christ’s peace transform us and move us to step into the broken spaces around us to restore shalom.

+