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Advent 2 – Peace
The world can be a strange and confusing place. Sometimes it seems like we are travelling along with no direction. Sometimes weird and wild things seem to come out of nowhere. Sometimes our journey seems futile. The Good News is that if we choose to follow Jesus, we have a way to stay focused while we travel the road of confusion. We can put our faith and lives in the hands of God to change our direction.
This week’s Psalm: Psalm 71:1-7
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the king’s son;
that he may rule your people righteously
and the poor with justice;
that the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,
and the little hills bring righteousness.
He shall defend the needy among the people,
rescuing the poor and crushing the oppressor.
He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure,
from one generation to another.
He shall come down like rain upon the mown field,
like showers that water the earth.
In his time shall the righteous flourish;
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more
As you enter the village of Radium, B.C, high in the Kootney mountains, there is a rustic and surprising (to me) sign which reads: The mountains shall bring peace to the people. It’s been there in various iterations since 1928.
It speaks to the stunning natural beauty of the area, as well as the local laid-back and friendly philosophy of the region.
But it also means more than that.
Peace is an accepted translation of prosperity in this Psalm, in which the ‘mountains’ are a symbol of human national government, and the little hills as local governments. The Psalmist is declaring that a Godly government will make sure that justice is fairly administered; that the most vulnerable will be sheltered and fed; and that the people will be protected from external conquest and internal corruption. They will be able to live in peace, righteousness and tranquility.
Now THAT is a beautiful welcome!
This week’s bulletin: