For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 CSB

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! Luke 2:14 CSB

Our advent theme for this week is peace. Our first verse is a prophecy from Isaiah about the coming Messiah, Jesus. Our second verse is the angels’ proclamation to the shepherds at the birth of the baby Jesus. Both are praise for our God and a declaration of where we can find our peace, Jesus.

We look forward to the Christmas season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior who is, as Isaiah prophesied, our “Prince of Peace.” We all could use some peace in our lives, especially at this busy time of year. There are gifts to purchase, menus to plan, special events at church, or maybe just feeling alone, and our peace sometimes seems far away. But we know Who to look to for peace.

I love this verse from 1 Peter. Peter is giving advice to Christians. For the one who wants to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:10-11 CSB

We all want to “love life and see good days.” And as Peter reminds us, we can’t just hope for peace or wait for everything to calm down so we can enjoy a bit of “peace and quiet” (as my mom used to request). We actually have to “pursue” our peace. And we simply need to remind ourselves that we already know where to find it.

Jesus. He is the source of our peace. But how do we “pursue” our peace? When we are stressed or frustrated or anxious and peace seems far away, we need to hit the pause button. Stop and be still. Breathe and breathe again, then bring it all to Jesus. Share your worries and troubles, your angst and frustrations, and give them over to the Lord. Share your burdens and accept His rest and peace. Jesus gives abundantly. Ask and you will receive.

This week, pursue your peace, spend time with your Lord and in the Word. Find your peace through Jesus and shine His peace to those you meet. Let them see the peace that passes understanding. Embrace your peace!

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we pursue our peace through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Blessings and peace!