Quest for Peace: Second Sunday of Advent

When the year dies in preparation for the birth
Of other seasons, not the same, on the same earth,
Then saving and calamity go together make
The Advent gospel, telling how the heart will break.
Therefore it was in Advent that the Quest began...
~ C.S. Lewis, "Launcelot", Narrative Poems, p95

The season of Advent can often be a time of searching. It's common for many of us to search for the true meaning of Christmas amidst the assault of consumerism and hectic schedules. We may find ourselves searching for a friend or a companion to ward off the loneliness and regrets that creep in during the holidays.

As Christians, we are given an opportunity to renew our search for Christ during Advent - not that we lost him, or that he lost us. But our attention and affection can dissipate, focus can diffuse, or we can become indifferent to Him. Advent is the right time for a Quest, for a search to begin again.

The Magi of the East are remembered during the Advent season for their Quest. We don't know how many of them sojourned to Bethlehem - there were probably more than three of them. Their three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh held powerful symbolism - appropriate for a man who was to be a king, whose life would be an offering, and in need of burial spices.

And they weren't kings, rather they were kingmakers - holding power within the vestiges of the Persian kingdom to appoint the next ruler. Magi were wise, scientifically-oriented, famous for their "magic", watchers of the sky, politically influential, and religious. And they went searching for a king of the Jews who they believed was to come and bring peace on earth and good will towards men.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
~ Matthew 2v1-2 (NIV)

The financial debts that burden your thoughts, the quarreling family that breaks your peace; the ailing health, the uncertain future of employment and stability and happiness...it all makes for an unsettling season. The Advent gospel tells how the heart will break; how saving and calamity make.

Do you need to renew your search for Christ this Christmas? In this world your heart will break - but through the calamity will there be any saving?  To sojourn for Jesus in the midst of any of this is an act of wisdom and humility - it is a step forward in the quest for peace on earth, peace in your home, peace through your life.