ADVENT PEACE: FROM DIVIDE TO DIVERGE

PEACE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR DIFFERENCES
Friday, December 9th

Divide: to separate into two or more parts, areas, or groups; to separate into classes, categories, or divisions; to separate into opposing sides or parties

Diverge: to move or extend in different directions from a common point; to become or be different in character or form

We all were born as helpless, tiny infants.
We all will return to dust one day.
We all begin and end the same way.

But oh, our lives between the beginning and ending are individually unique and diverse! And our differences may cause us to overlook the essential ways we are the same. We can see how this begins to affect us – as we organize and divide ourselves according to our similar identities, defining them with creeds and pledges, bordering them with fences and walls. These divisions help us to separate and belong to the groups that are most like us, the groups in which we feel most comfortable, but these divisions also serve to exclude any of those who may be different from us.

Jesus comes along and says to us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life… Follow me.” (John 8:12,12:26 NRSVUE) Jesus is our Advent Peace who invites us to walk together in the light of his love.

As we consider these two definitions, Jesus’s words seem to beckon us to diverge instead of divide. Could Jesus be asking us, “Will you return to the common point of your shared humanity, the point in which God has created all of you? From there, will you choose to follow me together in peace and harmony, to diverge onto a new path of light and love and unity? Will your only pledge be a promise to walk peacefully with one another, your only creed an affirmation of worth? Will you look upon God’s beautiful diversity without superiority or judgment, and regard one another as equally beloved?

I believe in my heart that most of us would want to walk this way.

The Advent Peace of Jesus’s way of love compels us to let go of our inclination to divide and encourages us to diverge instead – onto a path of acceptance and appreciation of our diversity. Diversity adds beauty and depth to our journey when we move together in the unity of Love. The way of love that Jesus calls us to follow may even enrich our faith as we begin to understand other faith practices, embrace diverse cultures, and seek the essential ways we are lovingly connected.

May the Advent Peace of Jesus’s words, “Follow me, …the light of life,” lead us into greater love and unity for all humankind.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:14-15 NRSVUE)

Bible passages taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Photo by Karen