Wednesday in the Second Week of Advent, Year B
09 December 2020
Reading: 2 Peter 3: 8-15a
Scripture: “Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him.” (2 Peter 3: 14-15a)
Reflection: If there is one thing we have hopefully learned, and continue to learn from being caught in this pandemic, it is the importance of not just waiting, but doing so with patience and hope. Hear the Apostle Paul in Romans 8: 25…”but if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”. In fact, patient waiting may be considered an imperativeoflife in the Spirit; it is a characteristic without which it is impossible to experience true peace…or God!
In this second week of Advent, as we contemplate God’s gift of peace to the world and, with it, the possibility for reconciliation within and among every facet of creation, we find a challenge that doubles as consolation, in the highlighted text from scripture. In underscoring the righteousness of God, it issues an invitation for all who would experience the unity that is ours in Jesus Christ, to not only give verbal affirmation but to fully embrace righteousness as the way of being that leads and enables the reconciliation for which Jesus prayed (John 17:21).
How then do we apply Peter’s words to our lives and time? There seems only one answer; it is deliberate and intentional openness to the Spirit who creates the channel by which the blessing of peace flows towards us. In other words, you and I must embody the words we utter at the close of every celebration of the Eucharist when we gather for worship (actual or virtual)…
…send us out into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage, to love and serve You and all persons in You, with gladness and singleness of heart…
Meditation: Let there be peace shared among us; let there be peace in our hearts…give us a fresh understanding of reconciling peace that is real. Let there be peace shared among us; let there be peace.
Prayer: O God of righteousness and peace, we open our hearts even now, for a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit. Grant us to know, embrace and live in accordance with Your righteousness that with all of creation, we may experience true reconciliation, to the praise of Your glory. Amen.
St. Jude’s Church
Stony Hill
Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas 2020
by The St. Jude’s Writers