ADVENT WEEK TWO
December 7, 2020
Seek Peace
Psalm 27
You face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Psalm 27:8b-9
In whose face or faces do you see God?
Seeking God’s face is a plea for God’s favor which leads to shalom, a sense of peace, security, and wholeness. And shalom is not an individual experience; it’s a state of being for all God’s creation.
Nevertheless, individual peace and security that is not an end unto itself can be the beginning or the sustaining middle of a larger effort toward shalom-bringing. And when the soul grows weary under torment and constant struggle, it’s easy to join the psalmist’s loud cry, “Be gracious to me and answer me! … Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
What we seek is not the kind of shallow peace that suggests everything is OK when it is definitely not OK,
But the kind of deep peace that provides sustaining energy to stay engaged in the work of justice.
What we seek is not the kind of resigning peace that encourages the acceptance of suffering because that’s just the way it is,
But the kind of visionary peace that allows the imagining of a vibrant life free from torment and turmoil.
What we seek is not the kind of powerless peace that gives permission for cozying up and hiding permanently in the corner while ignoring the struggles of people all around,
But the kind of powerful peace that motivates and compels attentiveness to the world around and unrelenting action as a shalom-maker.
As the psalmist declares, “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Amen.
Rev. Susanna Weslie Southard
Interim Director of Supervised Year in Ministry Program, Chaplain,
and Instructor in Ministry Studies
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