“The second week, the first candle is lit again and the second purple candle is lit in the representation of peace. Christmas is known as a season of peace. Jesus came to bring us spiritual peace and is known as the Prince of Peace.”
PEACE, come to us, we pray!
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I am wondering if the Peace candle is purple, the color of Royalty because it represents the royal Prince of Peace ?
Debi, you being a lover or horses, I imagine you relate well with the smells and sounds of the stable! Oh, that our imagination would rise from horse and cattle smells of waste to a Perfect Throne of a The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Whoa, yes, Advent awaken us to this reality.
There will be three purple candles and one rose in our Advent Wreath….purple for Royalty Prince of Peace as MG mentioned. With other high honored meanings, purple, healing for world, power, wisdom, nobility and the fullness thereof without ending!
As I search for peace in the story of Christmas truth, I will endeavor to understand divinity and humanity and the intersection of those two realms. I pray I find some truth seekers on this trek that might have an extra power bar to share.
As I read what you write above, Sara, concerning “divinity and humanity and the intersection of those two realms”, I thought of the long diligent journey that the three Wise Men made to follow and find the Star which led them to an ‘intersection’ …a very human stable and manger where a human baby lay who was God himself. And then that baby journeyed through a human life doing divine things to His purpose for humanity, dying on the intersection of two pieces of wood, a cross.
I found in Philippians 26, 7, “…who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal to God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ” And in John 1:1, 2: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
Divinity intersecting with humanity and the truth that, FOREVER, the Son of God Who IS God would be ensconced in flesh and bone is more than I can imagine or comprehend.
That the Word, made flesh, Who is a divine Person and has always existed, with neither beginning nor end could love so much as to rewrite the history of the human condition by covenanting to become divinely human, forever.
As David Teems writes in his devotional, “With the ink of His own wounds He wrote beauty back into the history of man and with His deep groans he gave us the music that goes with it.”
I, for one, do not know if we will ever understand that ‘intersection’…well, not on this earth anyway but the very thought of such a thing overwhelms and thrills….’the thrill of hope’, as the Christmas hymn goes.
Another thought concerning the Great Intersection that is most amazing to me is written in 2 Corinthians 5: 15-17, 19 saying, “Therefore, if any person ANY!!! is ingrafted in Christ he is a new creation altogether. That is GOD Himself reconciled us to Himself and we are new, new, new and have the potential to be just like Jesus on this earth.” Can you imagine that? What intersection of God with man, God in man, man with God, man in God. Paul says that God, Personally present in Christ, did it for us for the glory of what that would establish in the earth and the heavens for eternal praise and glory of GOD. Only God could create such a work of mercy, compassion, justice and Love.
I find myself on a cold snowy icy winter wonderland Monday morning musing over Peace! My understanding on “intersection” goes to Debi’s story of “The Three Wise Men” and the following of The Star! Like “Hitch your wagon to a Star.” Likeness of calls for following of! Debi also showed the painting of a picture, “Take up your cross daily..” As a peace treaty for all; ” follow in the footsteps of the Peace Master.” MG adds to Debi’s with even more goodies. Q. I see the photo of a plate of cookies but how do I get a cookie? A. Make myself some!
Peace seems so allusive until one acts on the action off peacemaker! I have read if we become peacemakers we will be called children of God! Whoa, now that’s intersection. We will cross the path of the Prince of Peace with a clear view. Going home to Our Father’s House for the Holidays. We just might find the Christmas cookies on the table.
“follow in the footsteps of the Peace Master.” Sara writes. Weather patterns can change very quickly. If you are trying to follow someone’s footsteps at a distance, the rain may wash them away or the snow may fall so fast that they tracks are covered before you know it and then you have lost contact with the one you are following. Since Jesus said that He Himself is our Peace, than I can see how I would need to keep up with Him if I want Peace and not get sidetracked, etc because He might change direction and then I wouldn’t be able “follow in the footsteps of the Peace Master.”
“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:18
Your scripture, Sara, brings to my remembrance an old hymn, ‘Bringing in the Sheaves’, sung to me many nights by my grandmother. The words seem to cut across the ages timelessly reminding of our purpose on earth.
Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Refrain
Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Does this song reveal; ‘you reap what you sow?’ Kindness comes in the time of need because you have sown day in and day out!
Yes, I think this song reveals, ‘you reap what you sow?’ Lives that have sown kindness look like a well-watered and kept garden. Those that havenot look like a field full of briars and weeds.