Advent Devotions: Moments of peace

2 MIN READ
Advent 2015. Design by Doug Puller/Bread for the World.

By Lora East

Philippians 4:4-7

“When is the last time you felt peace?” I recently asked a friend.
“A long time,” she replied instantly.
“Are you sure?” I hoped it wasn’t true. “Think back, maybe it was a small moment.”
“Well,” she paused, “the other night there was the most beautiful moon. I noticed it and called my husband to look at it because we weren’t together. But I felt peaceful in that moment, looking at the moon. And that was just last week.”

When was the last time you’ve experienced peace?

In the morning with a cup of fresh coffee in hand, sitting in the quiet before the day begins? In the evening, watching the sun set with colors of red, orange, and purple painted across the sky? Did peace come in the form of a sleeping child, or a snuggly pet? Watching the first snow fall, the warm hug of a friend, or a deep breath of cold air?

Your moment of peace might seem small and fleeting, but its effect is not to be underestimated. It’s a sacred peace that settles in your bones. It’s an unexpected peace that grounds you in time and space. It’s a mysterious peace that whispers of your part in the Divine creation, and sings of our unity with She Who Is.

These moments of peace bring healing to our bruised and broken lives, and through them we can bring healing to our bruised and broken world. These moments of peace are a cause to rejoice in the presence of God. These moments of peace are steeped in the assurance that God knows our prayers before we can even formulate them, God knows the innermost desires of our hearts and the complex thoughts of our minds, and that Jesus Christ, the giver of peace, is at work in our lives even now, for our healing and wholeness.

Where will you experience the healing hope of peace today? 

Lora East is pursuing her Master of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

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