Unwrapping Advent Part 2: A Journey Filled with Peace

This week Tara reflects on peace through stories, reflections, and practical tips. Learn about the significance of Advent, discover inspiring anecdotes, and explore ways to cultivate peace in your everyday life. This episode includes a special Advent poem and a list of actionable steps to help you embrace peace this season.

Check out this week's sister article for Peace here at: Chautauqua Gazettee

Transcript

S6 E2 Unwrapping Advent Part 2: A Journey Filled with Peace

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: [00:00:00] Welcome to the second week of Advent with Holy Shenanigans podcast. I'm your muse, Tara Labonte Eastman, pastor, podcaster, and practitioner of Holy Shenanigans. Thank you for joining us on the search for the sacred showing up in every day and in the season of Advent. What is Advent, you ask? Advent is the first season of the liturgical Christian church year, and it runs from December 1st to December 24th.

Over the next four weeks of Advent, we're reflecting on this holiday season through the lenses of hope, peace, joy, and love. Sunday, December 8th, begins the second Sunday of Advent, where [00:01:00] we can together make a way for peace. Peace, peace, peace on earth, and good will to all. This is a time for joy and peace.

This is a time for love. Now let us all sing together of peace, peace, peace on earth. I first heard these beautiful words when I learned to sing this peace chorus in high school choir. At the end of the winter concert each year, the choir members would quietly walk down the aisles carrying candles and the auditorium full of people would hush and become silent.

The only sound heard was the rustling of choir robes, and gentle footsteps as we all found our place to stand and began to sing. [00:02:00] Peace, peace, peace. The sound of the music filled the auditorium and the soft light of the candles gave an unearthly glow. The conductor led us around and around and around.

Until all in the auditorium joined in this song of peace. This is a memory that sticks with me even through today. And I still long to see and hear and feel this kind of peace in the world. The question is, how do we actually cultivate peace? In Madeleine L'Engle's book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, she writes about human responsibility.

To seek peace in the world saying, you know, my dears, the world has been abnormal for so long. Like [00:03:00] we forgotten what it's like to live in a peaceful and reasonable climate. If there is to be any peace or reason, we have to create it in our own hearts and homes. Langles call for human responsibility and efforts of peace.

Isn't the only place I find it. In the gospel reading from Luke for the second week of Advent, John the Baptist proclaims a word of action to create more peace in the world. He says, prepare God's arrival, make the road smooth and straight. Every ditch will be filled in, every bump smoothed out. The detour straightened, all the ruts paved over.

John's challenge for people to get involved with efforts of peace wasn't for his community alone. It Over 2, 000 years later, his challenge remains to be a task for humanity to work on. [00:04:00] So with the help of a story about this song of peace, L'Engle's words, and John the Baptist's proclamation, we need to ask ourselves some important questions to help us make a way for peace.

How in this second week of Advent can we engage in an effort of peace? Historically speaking, who is an advocate of peace? That can inspire you and I bet like me you also have some favorite authors or books that encourage peace What are they speaking of words that inspire peace? I offer you a poem for advent to peace call peace calls to pause embrace act Contemplate and exhale pause Storms make me feel like running and hiding when [00:05:00] I'm frantic can peace be present Embrace.

In conflicts and hurts that push people apart, is peace working to break the ice? Act. When anxiety freezes me in an action, does peace give me a warm nudge to move? Contemplate. When swirls of activity tempt me to do, be, and see all things at once, how will peace slow me down to savor each, Beautiful thing.

Filling of lungs can only be sweet when exhale helps me to let go of what no longer is of use. How will peace help me release and fill my heart, mind, and lungs? Peace calls to pause fear. It [00:06:00] calls to embrace a need for people. Peace calls to act in life giving ways. Peace calls to contemplate beauty.

Peace calls to exhale. And trust the oxygen to keep breathing is just on the cusp of letting go. Light one candle to inhale. Light another to exhale. Peace. Peace. Help us to pause, embrace, act, contemplate. And exhale to make a way for peace in this season of making lists and checking them twice. I offer you a list of ways to cultivate peace.[00:07:00] 

Number one, choose a time each day to take a few minutes to actually take a break and rest to sit in silence and even put your cell phone away and put it on. Do not disturb. Number two, donate some time to a local nonprofit. After you volunteer, think about how sharing your time to benefit others was an effort of peace.

Going forward, plan to volunteer and continue to learn how to be a peacemaker with your actions by volunteering your time. Number three, set up a visit with a friend or an acquaintance whose faith or holiday traditions are different from yours. When asking them to meet, let them know you want to learn about their traditions.

In last week's list, [00:08:00] I invited you to begin to create an Advent music playlist. In addition to last week's songs of hope, search for some songs about peace and add them to the playlist.

 I am your Holy Shenanigans Muse, Tara Lamont Eastman. Thank you for joining us for Holy Shenanigans. Holy Shenanigans.

That surprise, encourage, redirect, and turn life upside down, all in the name of love. This is an unpredictable spiritual adventure that is always sacred, but never stuffy. Thanks to Ian Eastman for sound production. To support Holy Shenanigans podcast and production costs, contribute at www. buymeacoffee.

com. If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please go on over to Apple podcasts and give [00:09:00] us a rate and a review. We really appreciate your help until next time. Know that you are always beloved and may advent peace be with you wherever you are.