Good morning! Our Advent devotional for today comes to us from none other than Dr. Suzy Lockwood. Many of you know Suzy as a professor and as the Associate Dean for Nursing & Nurse Anesthesia, and I’m privileged to also know her as a colleague and dear friend. If you have ever met her and spent any time around her you were undoubtedly greeted with a big, warm, and genuine smile. I doubt that Suzy has ever met a stranger. Her kind heart, enthusiastic personality, and solid leadership skills not only make people feel seen and heard, but also at PEACE knowing that everything will be okay. That’s a skill set that feels especially important when things feel anything BUT peaceful. I trust that you will appreciate her profound words for us today as you navigate an Advent & Christmas season that at times feels busy and exhausting. May her parting challenge to us all be something we prioritize not only during this season of Advent, but throughout the new year that lies ahead. PEACE be with you… -Rev. Todd Boling, University Chaplain
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
I am honored to be writing the devotional for this week of Advent with a message of Peace – the second candle on the Advent wreath. It serves as a reminder that the Christ child will bring peace to a troubled world.
Christmas is busy! There is so much to do! The decorating needs to be done. We need to prepare for the arrival of guests, holiday parties, and programs. Shopping and baking still needs to get done. We wonder every year how we’re going to fit it all in. For those of us in academia, this time of year is also busy with final exams and preparing for the next semester.
In reality, the beautiful manger scenes we create are very different than what Mary & Joseph experienced. There was no room for a very pregnant Mary, food and water may have be scarce, and their journey would have been very stressful. None of this adds up to a very peaceful night! Maybe that’s one of the reasons the shepherds were the first to hear about the birth of Jesus. They were “living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night.” It must have been quieter with their flocks than it was with the crowds in town who’d arrived for the census. But amid this chaos our Savior, the Prince of Peace, was born!
If you are like me, given the level of unrest and suffering all around, many times I even question if peace on earth is even possible. More personally and individually, peace is seemingly more and more elusive as stress creeps into our daily lives through pressures related to work, family, finances, or all-around overscheduled lives.
For me, the beauty of Advent and this holiday season is an opportunity to stop and refocus our minds on the actual purpose of the season. Amid all the busyness of this season, and other times throughout the year, the story of Jesus’ birth should remind us that we can’t always wait for things to be “peaceful” to experience peace.
How will you take time to go out to the fields and look up into the sky?
How will you pause, ponder, and give thanks for all that God is doing in and for you?
How will you make room for peace not just at this time but throughout the days to come?
Let us pray.
So as you prepare for the coming of “The Prince of Peace” my prayer is that you might slow down so that you might experience the wonder, awe, and peace of the holiday and God’s work in your life and those that you love. Amen.