Advent 2025 - Peace: God’s Disruption of Violent Order
Sunday, December 7 is the second Sunday of Advent, and this week's theme is PEACE.
Every Advent, the second candle flickers for peace. Yet like hope, this word has grown soft in the Christian imagination. “Peace” has come to mean inner calm, social quiet, or the absence of visible conflict. Nations speak of “peacekeeping” that preserves the status quo rather than transforms it—preventing open violence while leaving deeper wounds unhealed. Churches preach “peace” that silences lament, discourages protest, and avoids confrontation. But throughout Scripture, peace is not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice. The Bible’s peace—shalom—names the wholeness of creation restored, the healing of injustice, the reconciliation of enemies, and the overthrow of every false order built on domination and control.
Isaiah’s vision of swords beaten into plowshares (Isa. 2:4) and Zechariah’s prophecy of a humble king “who will proclaim peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:10) arose under empires that claimed to bring order through domination. The so-called Pax Romana promised stability through crucifixion. The prophets dared to imagine another kind of peace: one that dismantles fear and restores right relationships between peoples and with God.
SUGGESTED PRACTICE: WALKING A PEACE PATH
Lay out a short path with stones or papers leading to your Advent wreath or candle. On each step, write one way your family can “prepare the way of peace”—small actions that bring healing and fairness where things feel broken. Some examples might be:
“Include someone who’s alone.”
“Speak up when someone is being unkind.”
“Say sorry first.”
“Share what we have.”
“Pray for people who are hurting.”
Light the second candle together, and as you walk the path, say: “Guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)
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