Author: Jacob Montgomery, Director of Music Ministries
Meditation
During Advent, a season of preparation, it is so easy to become completely overwhelmed by just that – preparations! The hustle and bustle of buying gifts, decorating a tree, hanging lights, and preparing for guests on top of our busy schedules can be overwhelming; however, I’d like to invite you to take a moment to mediate on the theme of the second week of Advent, peace. How can we possibly feel at peace in the midst of the chaos?
As a musician, I often listen and reflect on two hymns. Hymn #124, “Still, Still, Still,” a simple Austrian carol, describes the peace of the newborn baby Jesus as his mother sings him to sleep. Just as Mary and the Angels watched over Jesus at his birth, so does God watch over us every day; however, in order to hear him, we have to take a moment and listen! Hymn #347, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is a lesser-known Advent carol, one of the earliest Christian hymns still in use (~275AD). While often construed as song for Lent, given its dark and modal tune, the text reminds us, again, that to find peace, we must listen – “Let all mortal flesh keep silence… ponder nothing earthly minded, for, with blessing in His hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth.”
While for many people Advent is build up to the excitement of Christmas, I invite you ponder Advent’s original meeting – yes, a time of preparation, but also of wonder, prophecy, and the mystery of faith. How are you practicing “peace” and preparing for the Lord’s coming? A long time ago, a mentor said to me, “there are 96 15-minute periods in a day.” I invite you to take just one of those periods (1.04%) to listen, to find this sense of peace. Even if through His grace you may have already been given this peace, perhaps you can find a way to share it with someone who needs it!
