For unto us a child is born

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

• Isaiah 9:6, NRSVUE

Dear Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Siblings in Christ,

As we begin another church year in this season of Advent, these words of the prophet Isaiah and immortalized in Handel’s “Messiah” call us to remember who God is and who we have been called to follow as disciples of Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus came into the world in the shadow of empire, in a time when many felt hopeless against normalized violence and inequities, and powerless in the face of unjust laws and self-serving leaders. Jesus was born in a time when many religious leaders and institutions were neglecting the call of the prophets to work for peace and establish justice. Jesus entered into a world that believed that the powers and principalities and the ways of the world could save them.

For those who know the rest of the story, we know that Jesus’ life and ministry countered the false logic of the times into which he was born:

• The story of God-with-us, born as a helpless baby, not descending from on high ready to take control
• The story of the Son of God and his family living as refugees in another land, and in Galilee outside the centers of religious, social and political power
• The story of a Savior who, despite all hopes and expectations, did not come with armies and horses and weapons, but came with open arms and hosted open tables, where he ate with sinners and outcasts
• The story of the Lord, who, although he was God, served others while teaching of and living out the love and justice of God
• The story of the Mighty God who became human and eschewed violence, and instead healed, restored, forgave and reconciled, even as he died on a cross.

These stories proclaim that the logic of violence will not save us. Military might will not save us. Creating inequities so that we might have more while others have less will not save us. Perpetrating or supporting injustice and harm to others will not save us. Dividing the world into us and them and seeking to destroy everyone who is not “us” will not save us. None of these things will save us or keep us safe.

These stories remind us that we are saved, not by power and privilege, but by the love and grace of God.

The Advent vision of God’s peaceful reign invites us to be peacemakers, disciples working toward wholeness with God and with one another. Those who belong to Christ Jesus are called to:

• Create and hold spaces for all people to belong, regardless of who they are or how they are embodied, and for their voices and experiences to matter
• Work toward a world in which everyone has enough to eat
• Speak out against violence and the systems that support violence in our communities, in our nation, and in the world
• Tend to the emotional, spiritual and physical wholeness of all those in our communities
• Advocate for fellow human beings to be treated with dignity and for the rights of all human beings to be safeguarded
• Steward Creation with faithfulness and care
• Speak truthfully in love

Our Christian witness must be one that is consistent with the one who has come and will come again, consistent with his life, death and resurrection, consistent with what he did and underwent for the sake of the world God loves. Our Christian witness must stand in contrast to those who continue to co-opt Christianity toward nation-building and power consolidation that is antithetical to the God whom we know in the Prince of Peace.

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As we worship with pageants and hymns that proclaim the coming of the Prince of Peace into the world, may we all be strengthened in our faith as disciples of Jesus, in our resolve to follow Christ, and in our perseverance in working with God for wholeness.

May it be so for you and for me.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

• Luke 2:10-14, NRSVUE

The Rev. Jihyun Oh is Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Executive Director of the Unified Agency. Learn more about Presbyterians and peacemaking here.