Preparing for peace
by Pastor Tim Castle-Schmidt
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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:17,18).
Read James 3:13 – 4:12
As we continue in this liminal space that Advent is (fully prepared, yet not fully revealed), we are invited to walk with one foot already in the new creation, even though the rest of our lives are still well and truly in the first creation – the broken creation. And James encourages us to live in the wisdom that comes from heaven – that which is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful and good fruit-bearing, the impartial and sincere life of living in the new creation now.
You see, as we are immersed in the life of Jesus, we prepare for the next stage of our everlasting lives by allowing the peace of Jesus to flow over our lives in the present. And so, as we live (and, therefore, sow) in peace, we prepare the harvest that will be faithful and, therefore, righteous – a harvest whose foundation is non-violent and loving towards all of God’s creation.
What a beautiful and fulfilling future (and present) we are called into: one that works towards the peace and liberty of the whole earth and its creatures. In preparing for peace, not only do we pray ‘your kingdom come’, but we also participate in its self-revelation in the world.
The season of Advent, then, need not just be a passive observance of Jesus’ appearing in the feed trough on Christmas Eve, but a reassurance that the advent of the Messiah has come and that (to steal some words from a Howard Thurman poem) our task is: to find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry, release the prisoner, rebuild the nations, bring peace among the people and make music in the heart.
Lord Jesus, as we prepare for your entrance into the world again this year, help us prepare the way of peace, the way of the kingdom, as we work for justice, hope and love in this fractured and broken world. Amen.
By his own admission, Tim Castle-Schmidt is a broken man. Broken in body, mind and spirit, he says he is learning that God is at work in and through human brokenness. He says that while God has not ‘fixed’ him, God continues to work through his brokenness to connect with the world. Tim is the Pastor of Nunawading–Waverley Lutheran Church in Melbourne. After spending many years as a teacher in Lutheran schools, he finally listened to God’s call to the pastoral ministry. Tim is passionate about social justice and engaging the church with contemporary society. Tim shares his life with Fiona, Miranda, and a Jack Russell called Otto.
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