This week’s Advent message focused on how peace and courage are woven together in the Christmas story. Looking at Mary and Joseph, we saw that God’s call often arrives with uncertainty, risk, and fear. However, peace grows when we choose obedience over self-protection.
Pastor Nate begins by defining courage as the conviction that something matters more than fear, sharing a personal story of responding to God’s call to missionary work in Juarez. That same tension shows up in Luke 1 when Mary, an ordinary young woman, is suddenly called to an extraordinary task, and then Joseph is blindsided by Mary’s pregnancy until God intervened. Both had many reasons to hesitate, yet both said yes.
This teaching emphasizes that following God does not guarantee smooth paths, but it does open the way to His peace. In contrast, Jonah’s refusal to obey God's call led him into turmoil and inner conflict. Through his example, we learn that disobedience will steal peace far more than difficult circumstances do.
The message closes with a simple Advent practice: signing your name at the bottom of a blank page—symbolizing a willingness to trust God without needing all the details. Peace comes not from certainty in our situation, rather certainty in the one who calls us and surrender to his will. When we say “yes” to God, like Mary and Joseph, we step into the very peace we long for this season.
