Guide Our Feet

Luke 1:69-79
Second Sunday of Advent
 
Peace can mean different things to different people. To some, it could mean the absence of war, conflict or disagreement. To some, it could mean the absence of noise or busyness by enjoying some “peace and quiet.” To some, it could mean, “Could I get a moment of peace?” when one feels bombarded by interruptions or challenges that never seem to let up. The word “peace” in verse 79 is the Greek word εἰρήνη eirēnē which reflects the meaning of the Hebrew word “shalom.” Shalom is a traditional greeting or farewell that means wholeness and wellbeing as when one has peace with God.
 
The gift of peace that Christ brings is one that reflects shalom, a lasting harmony with God instead of a temporary reprieve from strife. This gift of shalom becomes a way of life, or the way to live our lives to become whole and to nurture our wellbeing. This way of peace is the center of John the Baptist’s calling as prophesied by his own father, Zechariah, in this text, upon John’s birth. Zechariah lost his voice when he couldn’t understand Gabriel’s prophetic message about his son, yet he regained it after his son’s birth and this passage was what he said.
 
Zechariah prophesied that his own son had a special purpose: to “go before [Jesus] to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge…[and] to guide [their] feet into the way of peace” (v.76-77, 79). In other words, John the Baptist’s calling was to prepare the people to receive Christ, and it involves knowledge of who Jesus is but also taking steps to live into Christ’s way of peace.
 
What is Christ’s way of peace and how do we guide our feet toward it? We take active steps toward Christ’s way of life. We confess the times we step away from God or turn away from those in need. We then receive Christ’s forgiveness to realign our steps. We open our hearts to receive the inbreaking of God’s light that shines upon us while we “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (v.79). The peace of Christ is not a temporary fix, but a lifelong path that we travel with Christ. This active walking with Christ brings a wholeness and overall wellbeing to our lives.
  
The path to peace is long and jagged where we will encounter many challenges to stay on the path. Anxiety, in particular, paralyzes us, and we feel weighed down no matter how hard we try to take a step on our own. When we feel our anxiety overtaking us, we can exchange it for Christ’s peace. Every time we feel it creeping in, we can make peace with God and our situations and allow the inbreaking of God’s light shine upon us and guide us to receive the help we need. Christ’s peace can settle our spirits as we lean into Christ’s strength.
 
This is quite the prophecy placed on a newly born babe, but it continues on today. John the Baptist was not the only one God used to prepare people to receive Christ’s peace. God uses many people to prepare us in our lives, and once we receive Christ’s peace, God uses us to prepare others. This is the way of peace. God “guides our feet” by sharing it with others along the path (v.79). We do not keep shalom to ourselves. It is meant to be shared. It is meant to be a way of life, for the whole world’s wholeness and wellbeing. For all of us to be truly whole and well, each of us helps one another into the way of peace.     
 
On this second Sunday of Advent, may we exchange our anxiety for Christ’s lasting peace. May we live a life of shalom with every person we meet.
 
Reflection Questions:
What does peace mean to you?
Have you received Christ’s gift of shalom? How would you describe it?
How can you guide your feet into Christ’s way of peace?

Pray:
We pray for the inbreaking of God’s light while we sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Action:
Take one active step this week that shares the gift of shalom with someone in need of Christ’s peace.
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.