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Violence seems to be everywhere.  The war in Ukraine continues; almost 8 million refugees have fled the country since February of this year.  The war in Yemen is in its eighth year, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.  In Canada, the number of women murdered by a partner or ex-partner has increased every year over the past 5 years reaching a rate of 1 murder every 2 days.  Hate crimes in Canada have increased 72% over the past two years … The list goes on and on.  But today’s first reading reminds us that this will not be the final story. 

There will come a time when the violence will end.  “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”  I read these words and my heart cries out, “when Lord?  How much longer must we wait for this vision of peace to become reality?”  I think about the fact that Advent is the season of waiting, and Christmas is the promise that someday the wait will be over; the promised miracle will come.  I tell myself, breathe deep.  Be patient.  Trust God. 

The Taizé song echoes in my mind, “wait for the Lord; his day is near.  Wait for the Lord; be strong, take heart.”  And then I remember that the promise that war will end is the second half of the sentence.  The sentence begins with the statement, “They will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.  The promised peace will come, but it will not be something that God simply does for us.  It will come when we make the decision to partner with God and actively choose to change our own behaviors.  Peace will come when we trust God enough to stop putting our energy into the destruction of what we fear and instead put it into nurturing life. 

In recent years the divisions between us seem to have grown increasingly insurmountable.  Day by day and year by year, our society seems to be growing more and more polarized.  Our swords and spears are ads and memes, tweets and rants, statements that demean and dismiss those whose values and goals are different from our own.  If we want peace, we need to change the way we interact with those we see as enemies.  What will it take to change our approach?  What will it take to really listen to each other?  What would it mean to understand the good that others are trying to promote, rather than focussing on the harm that we are sure they are doing?  What would happen if we really believed that everyone else was trying just as hard as we are to accomplish something of value?  Would it be possible to transform criticism into gratitude and replace disdain with appreciation?

As Advent begins, each of us is invited to think about the weapons that we carry and that we use to gain a sense of power and control and to keep us from feeling overly vulnerable. Do we use anger or criticism? Do we use threats or intimidation?  Do we use fear or bullying?  Do we use disappointment or disgust? What would it take to transform our favorite weapons into something that would foster growth?  Are we willing to try? 

Today, we are invited to trust that if we work to build peace in our own hearts, families, neighborhoods and workplaces, God will spread that peace to the nations?  Today, we are invited to believe that every tiny “yes” to God can change the world?

“Oh, house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” 

Pam Driedger