A vision of peace and justice

[This post marks five years that I have been posting photos and reflections every Wednesday morning. When I began this venture, I didn’t know how long I would do this. Recent challenges have been trying to find the time to go out and make interesting images. At some point I will turn to other photographic and reflective interests, but for the time being I am happy to continue this work. Thank you for finding the time to read and comment. I have no idea where this will go, but I trust that God will use my efforts to good effect. A happy Advent season to you all!]

Jesus continued to hope and pray even when his world was collapsing around him at the end of his life, and he taught us to have faith that the God of resurrection and new life will carry us along and enable us to be hope-filled and to make choices that will lead us closer to God. The good news is that Jesus didn’t leave us on our own. He walks with us as we journey through life. Sometimes it’s only in hindsight that we see that.

The past Sunday we began the season of Advent, a time when we reflect upon the coming of Jesus into our world, a time when we move from a consideration of apocalypse to nativity, from war to peace, from a dread-filled future to one filled with the hope that the new-born Prince of Peace brings us.

The readings of distress and destruction, those apocalyptic writings that have been part of our worship recently, give way to the promise of the coming Savior, who shows us the way through the tribulations of life to renewal in the Spirit of Christ.

Perhaps we can use this time, these coming weeks, to create within ourself an oasis of inner peace and reflection, where we can hear God’s voice anew and discover God’s truth in our daily life and find in God’s presence a source of hope and life, because it is to hope and life that our God calls us and wants very much for us as individuals, as families, as a nation, and as a world community.

“For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” (Malachi 3:20)