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What price, this peace?
Monday, December 12, 2016
Third Week of Advent
Revelation 12:1-5
The dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child. She gave birth to a male child destined to rule the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
And there is war in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun and moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head, stands up to a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Chicken Little is right this time.
In This Present Darkness Frank Peretti brings the heavenly battle to life. Angels battle demons, and everything is at stake. In his book, the prayers of the saints are fuel for the angels.
John’s vision pits the empire of war (Roman at the time) against the kingdom of heaven. Jesus brought this kingdom to earth with his words and his love. His “iron rod” rebuked the devil and his minions, but everywhere he walked Jesus stirred up victory through justice and mercy, not war.
Jesus and Caesar, contemporaries, brought peace but they came to it differently. Marcus Borg reminds us of Tacitus’ famous comment about the Romans, “Where they make a desert, they call it peace.” Jesus’ peace of non-violence turned the other cheek and died on a cross. But then came resurrection.
Empires rise and fall. Jesus means it when he says, “I am with you always.” And he stretches out his arms and invites us too, to be caught up “in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
These visions unfold before our eyes as we quiet our souls and wait for Jesus during Advent. God is so good.
Let us sing and rejoice, Lord, because you are coming to dwell with us. And we shall be your people. Let us be silent in the presence of the Lord, as you stir forth from your holy dwelling. Let us rejoice and call you blessed, baby Jesus. Let it be done to us according to your word.
http://www.davesandel.net/category/lent-easter-devotions-2016/
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1529
