By Suzie Lind
In the days of Caesar Augustus, Rome was at the height of its power and the empire was enjoying the Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and prosperity. It was a time of political stability, economic growth, and cultural flourishing – for some. Jews living in Israel were pushed to the margins of society through Roman rule. Their standing as citizens was unstable, the economy was crushing and their God-fearing culture was slowly being absorbed into Nationalistic pride. Rome represented conquest and victory and the culture was marked by the seduction of greed and the allure of power. Those pushed to the margins had nothing but the remains of hope that one day Messiah, the King of the Jews, would come and restore everything their ancestors were promised.
But, God. Instead of earthly kingship, grandeur, and conquest, He arrived in the most vulnerable and seemingly fragile way possible – the flesh and blood of a newborn baby in a dark and dirty manger where animals and livestock are kept. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Rather than announcing a triumphal entrance fit for a king, the angels announced a king who would bring about a different kind of peace. It wasn’t a proclamation simply about calm amid chaos or relief from Roman oppression. It was about something much bigger: the breaking in of God’s Kingdom, a peace that starts within us and spills out into the world around us.
This is Advent peace.
A peace that isn’t a byproduct of privilege or limited to the absence of conflict. It’s not the pursuit of happiness or the good and simple life as the world defines it. Advent peace is deeper, richer, and all-encompassing. It’s the shalom of God, the kind of peace that restores what’s broken and makes things whole.
The thing is, Advent peace can feel lofty, unrealistic, and sometimes unattainable in the world we’re living in. Everywhere we turn, we see division, unrest, and systems that seem designed to break people rather than restore and build them up. Advent doesn’t ignore that. It doesn’t bypass the messiness of life or pretend the world isn’t what it is. Instead, Advent reminds us that the peace Jesus brings is both here and not yet—something we can taste now while we wait for and work toward the day it’s fully realized when He returns.
This kind of peace starts inside us. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, dwells within us and invites us to know Him, and in knowing Him, we’re reconciled to God and to his people. It’s in those quiet, intentional moments—prayer, reflection, being still—that we can feel the kind of peace that steadies us no matter what life throws our way. When we break bread with other believers our peace is nourished and strengthened. This peace is certainly not passive. Rather, it moves us, changes how we live, and compels us to respond differently to the brokenness around us.
Advent reminds us that peace has been ushered in and calls us to join Jesus in becoming peacemakers. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Peacemakers don’t keep up the illusions of peace offered by the status quo. Rather, they disrupt harmful systems and order to make genuine, restorative peace available to all. This kind of peace doesn’t come without a cost. Those who make peace are not deterred by what can be lost in the process. They are fueled by an unshakable hope that Advent looks toward. This is our invitation as Advent people: to embody His peace in how we show up in our relationships, in our communities, and the world. Sometimes, that looks like choosing forgiveness or turning the other cheek. Other times, it’s naming injustice, standing up for what’s right, or being the one who listens with curiosity when no one else will.
As we walk through the darkness of this Advent, where do you see glimmers of peace? As we remember his birth, what are ways he is inviting you to join him in making peace here and now? Let’s ask ourselves how we can be conduits of this peace—at home, at work, wherever we are.
May you live and find yourself inside the beautiful truth that the Prince of Peace has come, and He’s coming again.
This is the last of three in our Advent series. To listen to the accompanying PEACE TALKS episode, click HERE. To read the first article on formation, click HERE. The read the second article on justice, click HERE.
