advent candles for Christmas season
Terri Webster Schrandt

Weekend Coffee Share: Waiting for Peace during Advent Season

advent candles for Christmas season

If we were having coffee, I would ask you to sit with me for a moment and chat about our difficulties in waiting. How do you like your coffee or tea?

Do you like to wait? I don’t. To me it is time wasted. I usually multi-task while waiting, by reading, doodling, deleting stuff from my phone…you know. I am very impatient. Definitely a character flaw.

If we were having coffee, I would remind you that a host of bloggers have posted about the recent, tragic events in the form of mass shootings and terrorism all over the world. As our hearts go out to the victims and families who have suffered injury and death, we simply long for peace.

Unfortunately we all know the world will go the way it will go, not as you or I would have it. So we must wait.

Along the continuum of religious belief, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim or atheist, or somewhere in between, you and I will wait for peace. We may wait our entire lives. Our children will likely wait their entire lives.

I have no answers for you. Only you can decide how you can find peace.

My beliefs help me cope with the lack of peace in our world, which brings me to this question…

…If we were having coffee, I would ask you if you celebrate Advent? If you do not, take a moment to read the rest of this post.

The advent season is also about waiting. During advent, we’re reminded of all those centuries when God’s people awaited the fulfillment of God’s promises, the years of uncertainty, the time of doubt.

“The time before Christmas is Advent, a season of preparation for Christmas. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent, we’re reminded of how much we ourselves also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior’s second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.”

From the blog of Patheos by Mark D Roberts.

On this second Sunday of Advent, as Christians light the second candle, we celebrate and pray for peace. Now more than ever we need peace in light of recent events. Regardless of your spiritual orientation, as humans, we long for peace on this planet.

“We can bring peace to these dark days. We can be a light for others to see by.”

Janet Sunderland. Community of the Incarnation

If you would like to know more about the celebration of Advent, read Fascinating Mystery for more information.

May we all find the peace we crave during this time of reflection, regardless of the wait.

 

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46 comments

  1. We all hope and pray for peace. With all the terrorism and other violent events in this world we wonder if it will ever happen. Probably not in our lifetime or in our children’s liftetime. Even so, I think it is important that we live our lives in spreading peace, love, and goodwill.

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  3. Oh I do indeed celebrate Advent.

    One of my favorite rituals of Advent: For well over twenty years I have received two beautiful Advent Study Guides from Unity. One I send to my dear friend Linda. While I have moved everywhere over the years, and she has lived firmly/strongly grounded in one place, it is our shared Advent Study that keeps our bond strong no matter the distance or varied directions our lives have. We do the same for Lent, Unity providing once again our study guides.

    This is a beautiful post Terri.

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  5. I just returned from Europe where Advent is celebrated in it’s entireity in every town and city square. It was so lovely and peaceful words can’t describe. I will post the advent photos though. Wonderful post. Happy Advent!

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  7. Hi Terri! I too don’t like to wait and get so fidgety! But indeed the holidays are a time of eager anticipation!! I love the words of peace and joy you’ve shared with us… Yours and those of the other writers… May peace, hope, joy and love reign this holiday season and always!!

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  11. I tend to be very impatient as well. We can’t bring about the world peace that we all wish for, but we can always do our part to make our little corner of the world peaceful. Seeing the calmness of my home with the Christmas lights shining, a cup of coffee (with half and half) and soft music playing does help make things peaceful.

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  13. Peace seems so far away at the moment for so many people in this world, however we do have to find our own peace within don’t we Terri. I don’t think the Advent rituals have really been explained before it is usually just a calendar with chocolates for the children. I will read further. Thank you for linking up and supporting our very first #OvertheMoon link up. Peace be with you and your family. xx

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  14. Amen to that ! Call it Diwali, Avent, Hannuka, this is a time of year where we all light our candles to spread the lights, and pray for peace. I agree with you, there is not much we can practically do, but hoping, spreading love and practicing compassion for ourselves first and for the rest of the world is already a step in the right direction to me ..

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  15. I always give my boys a chocolate Advent calendar – even though they are big 16- and 17-year-olds! However, this year, as well as the chocolate, every night when they go to bed, they find a little card written by me telling the something that I love about them or a note of encouragement or something totally positive. They both are not only enjoying them but are collecting them!
    It is my little way of sharing peace and love in this world that can seem so often so sad and in pain.

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  16. Congratulations Terri!!! Your post was in my top two picks for the VERY FIRST #OVERTHEMOON link up. I loved learning about Advent which to be honest I should have already known. Have a great weekend and look forward to you joining up again next week.

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