Hastings: Peace — on the way to Bethlehem
“Such is the tender mercy of our God, who from on high will bring the Rising Sun to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness … and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” — Luke 1:78-79 The Inclusive Bible
The young couple filled with hope, wrapped in divine love and carrying joy for the world walked on to Bethlehem. As they walked, they pondered the way of peace to which the Holy One led. Central to the way of peace was neighbor love — regarding one another as much as one’s self. Love for others meant caring for those who are vulnerable like prisoners, the sick, orphans and widows. And love meant extending hospitality to travelers, strangers and foreigners. Neighbor love meant not reaping one’s fields to the borders but leaving some for the poor to glean.
To “do the things that make for peace” meant taking time to honor the Holy One above all, respecting parents, marriage, life, truth and property. The way of peace also included care of the earth, for when their ancestors did not follow the ways of peace their country suffered from drought and famine. But when their ancestors made a U-turn and again followed the way of peace, the rains came to nourish the crops and the people had plenty to eat.
After their ancestors had lost their way many times and the country was again under foreign rule, the Holy One promised to send someone who would be a light in the darkness and guide people into the way of peace. The Holy One would scatter the proud in their conceit, depose the mighty from their thrones, raise the lowly to high places, fill the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty. This was not a reversal of fortune; rather, when the mighty are brought low and the lowly are lifted up, all people stand together on level ground and the stage is set for peace on earth.
And so as they walked on the way to Bethlehem, the young couple remembered their country’s history and the Holy One’s ways of peace. Then they quickened their pace, for labor had begun and the one who would guide people into the ways of peace was soon to be born.
The Rev. Celia M. Hastings has a master's degree in religious education from Western Theological Seminary in Holland. She is author of “The Wisdom Series” and “The Undertaker’s Wife.”
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hastings: Peace — on the way to Bethlehem
