Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace. (2 Peter 3:14a)

Peace. There’s a lot of talk right now about peace. In each of our worship services for many weeks now we’ve been praying a litany for reconciliation and peace in Ukraine, Gaza, and Israel. It’s common for us to describe peace as simply the absence of war, the absence of violence…but Biblical peace, God’s peace, is much, much more than that. I’m sure you all know the Hebrew word for peace—Shalom. This word appears more than 250 times in the Old Testament and its Greek equivalent 91 times in the New Testament. It means, not quietude or restfulness, but completeness, wholeness. Shalom includes every good thing given by God in all areas of life…well-being in the widest possible sense of that word. Sharing in God’s shalom means sharing in all of God’s gifts and in God’s salvation.

The ancient blessing we use from Number chapter 6 has shalom as its final benediction: “The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” These ancient words of peace are the oldest written scripture we’ve ever found: they are inscribed on an amulet that is 600 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls, created more than 2,600 years ago. This was the time the prophet Jeremiah was alive, and close to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, and the exile of the Jewish people to Babylon. The summary, the culmination, of God’s life and blessing is this completeness of God’s peace.

In his book, Shalom and the Presence of God, J.I. Durham says God’s peace is indicative of a comprehensive kind of fulfilment, a perfection in life and spirit that transcends any success or failure we have. The promise of peace was central to the message of the prophets. Handel beautifully sets Isaiah 9:6-7 to music in his Messiah: “For unto us a child is born…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” In two weeks, at our Christmas Eve worship, we’ll hear the angels proclaim to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth.” In his farewell discourse to his disciples at the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give you.” Paul frequently opens or closes his letters with “Grace and peace to you.” He calls his message “the Gospel of peace,” and in Ephesians Paul makes it clear that peace is both the content and the goal of all Christian preaching.

Peace is rooted in God’s work of redemption. It is a sign of God’s new creation that has already begun in Jesus and his ministry, continues in our discipleship, and comes to complete fulfillment at the end of the age. In Matthew and Luke, when Jesus sends out that first group of 72 evangelists, he instructs them, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person.” Those who follow Jesus have his peace and will pass it along to others.

Peace, in the sense of wholeness both for us and for the world, brings healing and newness to human relationships. Again, Paul says things like, “Be at peace with one another,” “the Kingdom of God is righteousness and peace,” and peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Paul’s blessing in Romans links peace with our other Advent themes: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.”

In our Advent theme study at this past week’s adult formation, we learned about shalom meaning to make complete or to restore—for example, when Solomon completes the ancient temple in Jerusalem, he brings it shalom. That’s why we call Jesus the Prince of Peace—Jesus came into the world make us complete, to restore and rebuild broken relationships and bring us to wholeness: individually, with each other, and with God. Paul taught the Ephesians that the bond of peace they are to have with each other requires humility and patience and bearing with each other in love. Becoming people of peace, participating in the life of Jesus who reconciled all things in heaven and earth, is a lot of work because, as I hope you understand at this point, it is not just about the absence of conflict; it’s not about quietness. True peace, shalom, requires action; it requires taking what is broken and working to restore it to wholeness.

When there is true peace, God’s peace that passes understanding, when there is shalom, we actively cultivate empathy and understanding for one another. A cease-fire and halt to violence in places like Palestine—and in our own cities—is only the beginning of the work, not the end. Imagine a world where God’s shalom reigns, where differences are celebrated, where conflicts are resolved through dialogue and respect rather than violence. This vision of peace isn’t just a distant dream; it starts with evert one of us, every day, choosing kindness over hostility, generosity over fear, and empathy over indifference. True Peace, like Hope and Joy and Love, is an active and ongoing choice—not a feeling.

For my prayer for you this week, I give you this poem from Howard Thurman’s book The Mood of Christmas:

I will light candles this Christmas.
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.

May you light Howard Thurman’s Christmas candles.