Advent: God Brings Peace
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (NIV)
Have you ever heard somebody say, “Be part of the solution, not part of the problem”? This means that we should find a way to make things better for people, by being peacemakers. When someone has peace, it means they don’t have anything to worry about or be afraid of. As followers of Jesus, we should always look for ways to help people be at peace, just as Jesus did for us. But how exactly did Jesus bring peace to the world?
God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; they were friends with God. But then they disobeyed and their sin separated them from God. It made them—and us, because we’re related to them—God’s enemies. There is nothing we could do on our own to be at peace with God. But God could do something, and he did. He sent his Son, Jesus, so we could once again be at peace with God. In the verses above, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would come to earth as a baby. He said that Jesus would grow up and bring peace to us that would never end. We know that two thousand years ago, Jesus came as a baby, grew up, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again to give us life and peace forever.
Christmas is our celebration of Jesus coming to earth as a baby. But not everyone feels peaceful during the holidays. Life can be busy and stressful, families can fight, and people feel lonely. Look for ways you can be a peacemaker this Advent season. If you have any friends or family members who haven’t trusted Jesus, tell them about how he came to earth to bring peace between us and God. You can also find ways to make things easier, less worrisome, or less lonely for people in need.
Prayer
Prince of Peace, help us to find peace with you. May we work for peace in creation, and may we seek peace with every neighbor, near and far. Father God, we wait for the one day when you will bring deep peace to a new heaven and a new earth. Amen.Related Resources
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle-school for 27 years. Ron completed a M. Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have three fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.