Which Way?

Luke 1:67-80
Maybe it's the season. Maybe it's because my stress level is running too high. Maybe it's the litany of events that have washed over the United States in the past month. Maybe it's all of these. Whatever the reason, I find myself embracing the words of Luke today, and especially one promise in particular. "By the tender mercy of our God," we read, "the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:78-79). I want to walk in the way of peace, the sort of peace that redefines life, that makes sense of this world, that builds community and overcomes injustice. I want that kind of peace.

But the good news of Luke's gospel for today is not without its challenges. God's chosen one may guide our feet into the way of peace, but we are going to have to do some walking. We are going to have to shoulder the responsibility that comes with being the community of faith, the people of God. We are going to have to do the work of the coming kingdom, follow the will of God, embrace God's call for justice and righteousness. We are going to have to look beyond ourselves and our needs and our wants and "rights" and be willing to do things God's way, mindful of the least among us, the lost and the lonely, those who, like us, are longing for a better world. Perhaps this is what it means to "take the necessary steps." Perhaps it means that we must stand up and begin to exercise our faith muscles once again.

This may not sound much like peace, at least not the peace we are looking for at present. But here is our hope, that by God's grace we can and will find the strength and the courage we need for the living of these days and will, by God's grace, someday find ourselves awash in the true peace that only God can offer. Until then, until that day when Luke's words like those of the prophets come to fruition, we live in the knowledge that we are not alone and that the steps we take, no matter how faltering, will
 lead us in time to the right place. 

On this Christmas Eve, may our lives be filled with love and light, and may our living be directed by and toward the will of God. 

Prayer: Gracious God, guide our feet and open our hearts to your love and grace that in your time we may find the true peace that passes all understanding. In the name of the one we await. Amen.