Preparing for Peace
Eleventh Day of Advent. Wednesday, December 10, 2025
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:8-14
Dear friends,
For us, Christmas is no longer a frantic season of giving and acquiring more stuff. Those days are gone. Yet, the season can sometimes reveal something deep inside us: the belief that we must produce, perform, and provide to make things right. The exhaustion many of us experience during Advent isn’t accidental — it’s the natural outcome of approaching the season as something we create rather than receive.
Matthew and Luke’s Gospels see it as something radically different—a reversal. The host of angels’ announcement to the shepherds comes with the words we most desperately need: “Peace on earth.” But this peace doesn't come from perfect circumstances or sheer willpower; it is a gift from God. Mary understood this when she responded to Gabriel’s impossible message with simple acceptance: “Let it be to me according to your word.” She did not plan or strive. She opened her hands. The entire Christmas story reminds us that salvation comes to us—Emmanuel, God with us—not because we finally gave enough to reach it, but because God gave himself to us, our world, as a vulnerable child in borrowed straw.
Receiving peace requires preparation. Just as John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness, we are called to prepare the way—not by creating peace ourselves, but by removing the obstacles that hinder us from receiving it. What clutter fills your inner world this Advent? Anxiety about the future? Resentment toward someone or some event that hurt you? The exhausting belief that your well-being depends on your effort and what you have earned? Preparation involves honestly recognizing these things and releasing them, making space for the peace that surpasses understanding to protect your heart.
This Advent, adopt the posture of watchful waiting. The shepherds kept watch when glory broke into their night. Simeon waited faithfully in the temple for God’s comfort. The magi studied the heavens with patient attention. Prepare for peace not by trying harder to feel calm but by cultivating expectant awareness through prayer, silence, and Scripture. Acknowledge your inability to secure your own rest and simply say with Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant.” Peace is Christ’s to give, yours to receive. Wait for it. Watch for it. Welcome it when it arrives.
Going Further
Read Luke 1 and 2. Observe how much was revealed and given by God's messengers. Then, note what those involved in the birth of our Lord received and how they responded. How might our thinking and lifestyles mirror the same reactions?
Waiting and watching,
