Listening for Peace

An Advent Reflection and an Awesome Playlist

“How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?”

-Bob Dylan, Blowin’ in the Wind

Yesterday, I was getting ready for a funeral. I looked in the back of my closet in the spot where my black suit hides but it wasn’t there. I turned around and saw it laying out from the last funeral I had been to just a few days before. December has been a tough month.

From the ravages of the opioid epidemic to the innocent lives lost in the Israel-Hamas War, peace feels like a distant dream this Advent season. And I guess it does every year.

“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.”

-Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

In Advent we’re reminded that the birth of Jesus ushers in a kingdom of peace. The Hebrew word for peace here is shalom, meaning completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace.

We’re invited to partner with Christ in bringing this kingdom of peace here today. It’s not a cheap peace that minimizes injustice and asks everyone to just get along. It’s the hard work of restoration. I think about the work my friends Dustin and GA are doing at Deep Time, roasting coffee beans and providing jobs for people impacted by incarceration. The world is a little more complete with each bag roasted and each person employed.

I hope some Advent down the line, peace won’t feel so far away. Until then we can do as the poet Judyth Hill suggests and wage peace with our listening.

The Advent Peace Playlist

Now it’s time to enjoy the final Listening Church Advent Playlist, created by your fellow readers. It’s a good one! Thanks to everyone who participated in the Music League and congrats to Travis Smith who made a dramatic comeback in the last round to win the league. Travis, I owe you a beer or a coffee next time I’m in town! Be sure to check out Travis’ Substack.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas everyone!