One hymn that is almost always sung in Advent is O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Listen closely to the words, it appears to be a prayer that God will once more come into our lives and make everything new again. It contains a whole list of “things” which we feel have been lost throughout the ages, ending with a request that God would “Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.”
In O Come, O Come Emmanuel, there are two important names, Emmanuel and Israel. Both of them are names, but they can also be stated as complete sentences. Israel can be translated into English as “one who wrestles with God,” while Emmanuel is an affirmation that “God is with us” always.
What might happen this Advent season if the world stopped thinking about getting things, and started looking for ways to simply be with others, to stand with them, and to listen to them as they lift up their prayers? Is it possible that heaven’s peace has been here all along, but we have been looking in all the wrong places, seeking what we feel we need instead of simply doing what we have been created to do? May you experience at least a glimpse of the peace of Christ this week. Pass it on.