Fourth Sunday of Advent

"Season of Peace"

Matthew 2:13-23

Advent is a season of waiting, expecting, and hoping. "Advent" is a Latin word and means "coming." For hundreds of years, Christians have used an Advent wreath to remember and celebrate the first coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Advent should also inspire hope as we wait for the Second Coming of Christ.

We are calling the Fourth Candle the “Candle of Peace” and it reminds us that Jesus comes to bring Peace to the world and to people's hearts. Without Christ, there is no peace in this world. Isaiah prophetically foretold, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) John recorded the words of Christ: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27) The world can be full of turmoil, peace is often a far away dream. When we trust in the promises of Christ, we know that peace will always be in our hearts.

We light this Candle of Peace today knowing that no matter what conditions we find ourselves in, we are never far from the Peace of Christ if we are His. Salvation in Christ is the steady anchor for a life that seems to be full of struggle.

Matthew 2:13-18
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”