Last Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent, we talked about peace which only comes from God. Although Isaiah had so many worries and concerns both as an individual and a prophet, he shouted out that God would come into his life, that of the people, and the agony his nation was going through and bring peace to them.
As Christians, we all are going through our own hardships. Sometimes, we worry about our future, family, friends, finance, physical and mental wellness, job, and so on. There are so many things that we have to hold to keep up our lives. Moreover, as a community of faith, we also see absurdities in the world. War, poverty, discrimination, disease, hatred, inequity, inequality, and so on, it seems like the whole world and human society are distorted by a massive evil force beyond our capabilities. However, Isaiah is inviting us to leave those to the hands of God and feel the peace that only God could provide.
However, it is difficult to leave our worries to God as human beings. We often feel as if we have to do something about those rather than just let them slide. However, it is not about sitting behind and doing nothing. It is about our proclamation that God is bigger than those false gods in the world, and that God’s love endures forever.
Paul is one of the most hard-working apostles in the New Testament era. Paul also knew that there was something that even his hard work and dedication to evangelism could not help. However, Paul firmly believed that the love of God shown through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is bigger than them. In his letter to Rome, Apostle Paul declares,
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
This time, let us take a moment to lay down all the worries and concerns that keep us from being at peace. And let us invite God to work in our lives. In addition, let us also bring our hard works and dedication for the world to Jesus Christ. Then, we will see the Holy Spirit working in the world for the coming of the kingdom of God.
May the unfailing love of our God be with us all the time.
Pastor Woo.
