For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  And the zeal of the Lord almighty will accomplish (emphasis mine).

This passage in Isaiah is part of a longer passage contrasting the king Ahaz in particular and human kings in general with the future King, Jesus.  This future ideal king will establish the kingdom in the way it was meant to be from the beginning of time.  He will establish it with justice and righteousness and it will be a task not realized through human means but will require an act of God.

Man has tried over and over to create utopian societies and systems of government but they have all utterly failed.  In contrast, Christ’s kingdom will be one described as having  peace to no end.  Imagine world peace that is not imposed with military might or brought about by sanctions.  A peace that is not caused by treaties that can be broken or sidestepped.  A peace that never stops.

E. B. White said,  “Most people think of peace as a state of nothing bad happening, or nothing much happening.”  Yet if peace is to overtake us and make us the gift of God’s shalom or well-being, it will have to be the state of Something Good Happening.

There is a personality type called “The Peacekeeper”.  It is described as having the tendency to ignore the disturbing aspects of life and to seek out some degree of peace and comfort.  When in an unhealthy state, this personality type responds to pain and suffering by attempting to live in a state of gross denial, spending energy on avoiding or deadening inner and outer conflicts and suppressing strong feelings.

When Christ comes (Advent) through his Holy Spirit, he gives us the capacity to be a “Peacemaker“.  This is his kingdom come here and now, on earth as it is in heaven.  On our own strength many of us are more like the peacekeeper instead of the peacemaker.  In moments of conflict, The peacekeeper stays out of the way and preserves “harmony”.  They tend to be overly accommodating out of a fear that they will loose the connection they have with people if they don’t.  As a peacekeeper  one can say “yes” to things they don’t really want to do or have the time or capacity to do to avoid disagreements and conflict.  Most of all, the peacekeeper is a master at avoidance and passivity.

Jesus did not come to be a keeper of the peace.  And his Holy Spirit who comes to indwell us does not give us the power to be peacekeepers.  Isaiah 58 describes the kind of life that the Holy Spirit leads us into:  “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them,and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  

This is not a passive response to the problems of the world.  It is impossible to respond to the needs and suffering of the world around us by avoiding them or turning away from them.  The Spirit of the Christ who comes to us today is one who engages the world through us in order to draw all unto Himself.  And peace comes to the world today–in the actions of you and me as we have the faith to respond in obedience to the leading of the Spirit.

In calling on the Christ of Advent to come, we cannot expect him to help us simply be nice and not make waves.  He will not empower us to avoid conflict.  This is not what His peace looks like.  In some cases he will bring us face to face with it.  The Lord’s peace in our present world would look like an end of conflict and discrimination; a world where justice prevails and people understood one another.  This kind of reality cannot come about in part or in full by avoiding conflict and remaining passive.  It must be active and intentional to address wrongs.

But lets not be fooled, it is not us who bring peace.  God may choose to use us as his hands and feet, but it is He who authors and initiates our actions.

Many are too busy keeping the peace to be open to God to be his peacemakers in a world that is desperate for it.  Lord, come today and make me an instrument–your instrument–of your peace, not mine.