Behind Day 20 of my Advent Calendar is:
FRODO BAGGINS
Hands up anybody who would like some tips on how to endear yourself to someone with whom you’d like to start a relationship? Quite a few of you by the look of it! Well, for those of you still straining to touch the ceiling whilst shouting ‘Me sir, me sir’ (thank you, you can put your hands down now), I’m delighted to tell you that today is your lucky day because I am about to reveal to you my tried and tested method, the one by which I managed to snare the woman I now call my wife!
First though you will need to master the runic alphabet as employed by J.R.R. Tolkien in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. And before anyone suggests that the reason I may once have done this has anything to do with me being a hobbit, I’d like to point out that, though diminutive in stature, I have far from furry feet! That said, I appreciate that this first step is not straightforward – but then who ever said that the path of true love ran smooth?
The second step is more straightforward. Simply transcribe the lyrics of the Eagles’ track ‘I wish you peace’ into the aforementioned language and, in your very best handwriting, write them on a piece of paper. Then slip it under the door of the one for whom you exclusively have eyes.
And that’s it. All you then have to do is sit back and wait for my guaranteed method to work it’s magic. Which, if my experience is anything to go by, should take about five years!
But some things, of course, are worth waiting for.
Take Simeon for example, the man, probably of advanced years, who we read of in Luke 2. Simeon was in the temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was taken there by his parents at around six weeks of age. He had been waiting for ‘the consolation of Israel’, that is, the long awaited Messiah who would one day come to rescue and comfort God’s people. Who knows how long Simeon had been waiting but he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that ‘he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ’ [Luke 2:26].
And so, when Simeon saw Jesus, he recognised him for who he was and, taking him in his arms, said the words found in Luke 2:29-32 that have become known as the Nunc dimitis:
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
So here’s the thing. Whilst my hobbit inspired wish for peace for my nearest and dearest was just that, a wish, the peace Simeon experiences here as he draws ever nearer to his own death, is absolute – for he has seen with his own eyes, and held in his own arms, the fulfilment of the promise that God had made to send a saviour, one who would be just that for both Jews and non-Jews alike.
As we are all too well aware, war is very much part of life, with numerous conflicts currently taking place right across the world. Jesus himself said that in these days there would be ‘wars and rumours of wars’ [Matthew 24:6]. But the Bible also speaks of a time when all conflicts will end, when nations will ‘beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks’, when ‘nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore’, [Isaiah 2:4].
One day there really will be peace on earth.
But this isn’t the only peace that the Bible speaks of. More significantly we are all offered individual peace terms with God, terms by which all hostilities between ourselves and God come to an end. And amazingly, despite it being our rebellion which has soured the relationship between ourselves and our creator, rather than something being asked of us to put things right, it is God who fulfils all the conditions of the peace treaty.
For on the cross, our sins were paid for when Jesus took there the punishment we deserved. As the prophet Isaiah makes plain
‘…he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.’ [Isaiah 53:5]
Because of the cross, all the causes of enmity between God and man have been dealt with.
Because of the cross, the war that raged between God and man is over.
Because of the cross, we really can know peace with God.
What Jesus suffered for us was truly awful. Even before being nailed to a piece of wood and left to die, he suffered horrendously at the hands of those whose true nature was being given free reign. As Matthew records
‘…the governors soldiers took Jesus…They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, King of the Jews!” they said. They spat on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him’ [Matthew 27:27-31]
Paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, that such violence should be the path to peace is nothing short of astonishing. Even so, that is what it took. Furthermore, it was for those who inflicted such suffering on Jesus that that peace was also secured. For even as he hung on the cross and yielded up his life, Jesus prayed for those who were treating him with such disdain. ‘Father, forgive them’, he said, ‘for they do not know what they are doing’. [Luke 23:32-34].
And we too can be included in his prayer. Hear God’s words spoken to you through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:
‘Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned’. [Isaiah 40:1-2a]
These are indeed comforting words, spoken by ‘the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort’ [2 Corinthians 1:3]. And they are words that were later reinforced by the apostle Paul when he wrote that
‘there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’. [Romans 8:1].
No matter then the depth of our wrongdoing, we who accept God’s terms of peace, surrender to the one who overwhelms us with his love, and are gladly conquered by one so much greater than we are ourselves, we are the ones who, because of the cross, are completely forgiven and can genuinely know ‘the peace of God that passes all understanding’. [Philippians 4:7].
And like Simeon, we too will be able to depart in peace.
And so, as Christmas draws ever nearer, ‘all I am saying is’, like John Lennon before me, ‘give [this] peace a chance’. Because ‘war is over – if you want it – war is over now’
And wouldn’t that be precioussss!
*****
So there are a number of songs that could have provided today’s musical interlude including, of course, ‘I wish you peace’ by the Eagles. But that particular song has done enough damage already so instead it’s a return to these pages for Handel with another section from the Messiah. Today’s lyrics come from the prophet Isaiah and includes a list of some of the names by which Jesus would be called – a list that includes ‘the Prince of Peace’. Here are the words in full so you can sing along Karaoke style! They can also be found at Isaiah 9:6
‘For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’
Previously from ‘A Christmas Countdown’:
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 19’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 18’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 17’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 16’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 15’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 14’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 13’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 12’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 11’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 10’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 9’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 8’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Part 7’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Day 6’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Day 5’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Day 4’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Day 3’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Day 2’, click here
To read ‘A Christmas Countdown – Day 1’, click here
Some musings 