2020: Light a Candle for Peace

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind,  live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”
(2 Corinthians 13: 11, NIV ).

During this season of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and His second coming, I believe what most of us desire more than anything else is peace. Our sense of peace, in one way or another, has been challenged  as a result of this unprecedented pandemic.  Our routines have been disrupted. Today, many of us find ourselves separated from our loved ones, when we would have preferred  gathering and making preparations for an array of festive and healthy foods and drinks in celebration of the season. Whereas, others of us find ourselves closer than we ever wanted to be.
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Whether separated from loved ones, or drawn closer than we’ve ever wanted to be to family members, this Advent is full of invitations to cultivate peace.  

Are your loved ones spread abroad?

TRY 
Gathering virtually!

1. Invite family members, close friends, and treasured others you haven’t seen in a while. .  
2. Tell them the theme for the gathering will be peace .
3. Ask each invited guest to reflect on what they can do to promote the biblical definition of peace in their own lives, with family members and friends, and within their communities. Start your gathering with prayer, an appropriate Scripture reading and sharing your reflections. Check out these helpful links for readings: Advent Bible Verses and Peaceful Readings and Prayers for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
4. Ask each invited guest to prepare a healthy plate to enjoy during the eating portion of your gathering. Find healthy recipe options here: Healthy Holiday & Occasion Recipes and Healthy Christmas Holiday Recipes.​
   
   

Are you surrounded? Closer to others than you’d preferred? Trust in God’s sovereignty, wisdom and intentional intervention in your life. You are with them for such a time as this. Invite God to interpret your circumstances and open your eyes to the opportunities for you to embrace his peace during this season.

TRY
Praying intentionally for your family members. Are any of them far from God? Are any of them without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who is the only one who can make us at peace with God, the Father? Then, pray for them to be given a new heart that will obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray for them to have the timeless lyrics of Amazing Grace as their personal testimony this year. 

TRY

• Set the table for peace. Prepare your heart to be a gracious hostess by releasing your desire to be proved right in the eyes of those who have offended you AND to exercise revenge. Forgive them as an act of obedience to your Heavenly Father. 
• Pray for each member of your family.  Pray for them to have peace with God (be saved) and to experience the peace of God (the steadying and resilient comfort and assurance of God’s presence).
• Invite them to dine with you. Extending the invitation is important, even if they are already in the same space or if there is an expectation that the dinner will happen anyway. This is not business as usual. Lean into the opportunity to do things anew. Let them know that you desire their presence at dinner. Make a formal invitation to each member of your family. 
• Prepare the meal together, if you can. If not, you prepare or arrange for a healthy meal. Count the meal as a gift (not a favor) you are giving your family.
• Open your meal with prayer and a reflection on the source of our true and undisturbed peace with God, Jesus Christ. If you are the only believer in your family, this will take courage. But, persevere through the awkward stares, side remarks, etc. Your role is to set the priority of Christ as the standard, not to convince them. You show up and shine for Jesus and let Him do the rest.  

This pandemic has disrupted our routines and caused losses of all kinds. It has been enough to disrupt the world’s definition of peace because the world’s peace is built on preferred circumstances. It is an unstable peace. But, the peace that is the focus of Advent is unlike that of the world. Jesus has given us a peace  the world cannot give, nor take away. (John 14:27). He has given us an enduring peace. He has given us Himself. 
 
Learn more about the biblical definition of peace:

TRY WITH YOUR GIRL
Watch this video (also included below) telling the story of Jesus’ birth and explaining why Jesus Christ is our Prince of Peace.  After you watch, reflect using these questions:

1. How was peace between God and people broken?
2. Who is the Prince of Peace?
3. What is the work of the Prince of Peace?
4. Why is the work of the Prince of Peace important?
5. *Do you want to benefit from the work of the Prince of Peace?

*If yes, consult this resource and share the Good News with your girls!