Peace or Piece?
Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
__________
You could say puzzles are almost a national past-time. I have many fond memories of sitting around at camp on a rainy day with friends putting one together. But for lack of a better word, I don't like puzzles. I don't have the patience to sit still for hours looking at tiny pieces and trying to match them to others. I know that there is a strategy for putting puzzles together, but that doesn't change the fact that puzzles just aren't my cup of coffee. Yet on this Second Sunday of Advent, I find myself thinking about puzzles, particularly puzzle pieces, as we ask the question, "What is peace?" It all comes down to context I guess when we ask the question of what does peace look like in our lives in our life.
Because that's the thing about puzzle pieces, they don't show the whole picture, they only show one small part of a much larger picture. The same I think could be said about how we understand peace, and I don’t mean a puzzle piece, but peace p-e-a-c-e. Much of how we understand peace is contextualized. Your understanding of peace, wholeness, might not be the same as someone else's understanding. That shouldn't come as a surprise, because we all know that none of us have lived through the same moments in time that have shaped and molded us.
Which is why I find it interesting when we find news commentators or critics or even pastors talking about returning to a time of peace now that events such as the election have passed. What are these social commentators talking about when they throw out the idea of returning to a time of peace? Certainly their expectation for peace can't possibly apply to everyone who lives in this town, this county, the state, or this country. So what are they talking about? What are they really trying to imply when they say we can now return to a time of peace?
There are many for whom peace is a far off abstract idea, some of them may be your neighbor, friends, or fellow church goers. If peace is maintaining the status quo, then peace will never be a reality for a great number of people. And as people of faith this is where we must differentiate peace from “comfort” or “a sense of ease.” In a biblical sense, we know that peace isn’t about what makes us simply feel good, but is what is just and fair for all people and all creation. The type of peace that God desires for our lives is not centered on what we as individuals want, but what is needed to bring about restoration, healing, and wholeness to the whole community.
If all we've ever known is peace or life not filled with conflict because of who we are in regards to our identity, it may be hard to see how our understanding of peace doesn't apply to everyone. For those who live on the margins find that peace comes in fragmented bits and pieces that came only as a result of countless women and men who worked to change the culture of their communities. It may initially be disruptive to those in the mainstream, yet as time goes on, we see how much has been lost by not being inclusive, fair, and just in the first place. A voice is always shouting out from the wilderness telling us that we need to see beyond.
Perhaps that's why people gathered at the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptism (though some may have had second thoughts when they first saw him). John preached a message of salvation, wholeness, and healing to anyone who would listen. You didn't have to be born into a priestly class, and you didn't have to be wealthy or powerful; all you had to do was believe and act on your belief. And as John went baptizing and preaching the word of God, he set the stage for an even bigger revolution that would come in the form of Christ's earthly ministry. As John the Baptist baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, gathering people together who needed rest and a place to lay their weary heads.
I suppose that is why I find myself thinking about puzzle pieces on this Second Sunday of Advent. Our peace is one small piece of the much larger picture that Christ envisions for all of us. So how will you and I contribute to the Advent peace that we remember and celebrate this day? In what way will we listen to the voices that cry out to us today's "wilderness" and prepare the way of reconciliation in the places that need the healing balm of reconciliation? Friends, there are still "broods of vipers," King Herods, and Pontius Pilates out there who need confronting.
Don't hold me to it, but maybe I'll find time this winter to find a puzzle and learn to enjoy doing it. After all, much of what we do in life takes practice, our everyday skills, our faith, and even new hobbies. Yet regardless of whether or not you are assembling a puzzle, I pray that you and I learn how we might add our piece of "peace" to God's community that opens it up to everyone. Especially now, as we know, that the holidays are already a difficult time. Go, listen to the voice in the wildness that cries out. Open your heart and mind to include those who were pushed to the margins in your definition of peace. And perhaps when this crazy pandemic is over, we can sit down at one table and do a puzzle together. Amen.