Shalom

Second Week of Advent
Monday December 9, 2013 

Read: Isaiah 24:1-16a 

They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; they shout from the west over the majesty of the Lord.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands of the sea glorify the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.
—Isaiah 24:15-16a 

Shalom is like grace, it is a gift. It cannot be earned, bought, or bartered. It can be requested but it might also be offered to us as we are called to serve. Gideon was the son of a farmer during a time when Israel’s enemies were routinely destroying Israel’s crops leaving its people destitute and starving. An angel appears to Gideon to tell him that God was with Gideon and that he was a mighty warrior. I don’t think Gideon thought of himself as a mighty warrior.  He asked for a sign—wanted proof that this “angel” was for real. Gideon gathered up gifts of what food they had for the angel. The angel laid it on a rock and caused fire to come from the rock and totally burned up the food. At that point the angel had Gideon’s attention as he said, ‘Help me, Lord God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it, The Lord is peace. (Judges 6:22b-24a) Gideon was still a reluctant mighty warrior and if you read the story completely you will see that he does a double check to make sure God was behind his calling, but he did indeed lead his people out of oppression. His answering the call was preceded by the receipt of God’s shalom. 

As we once again wait in these increasingly darkening days of Advent and as we considered what it is God wants of us, let us never forget that before we even begin the journey we have the assurance that God’s peace will follow us. 

Prayer: Yahweh, we thank you and lift our voices in songs of joy for your gift of shalom. Amen.

All scripture passages are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version.