The Prince of Peace
Isaiah in his prophetic declaration calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. A title He alone is worthy of because when we were far from God He brought us near and gave us peace with God. He accomplished this by humbling himself in descending to us in flesh and even dying for us on the cross. And this peace with God that Jesus gives us is not a stagnant peace. It causes us to have peace in ourselves in the midst of suffering and peace with one another.
A Son Is Given
We are all by nature people marked and shaped by expectation. And during this season, our expectations grow as we think about the Advent of the Messiah, but when God promised to give us a Child to inaugurate his kingdom, he broke all of our expectations. But what’s incredible is that this Child is our Wonderful Counselor who breaks our burdens, the Mighty God that can handle our doubts, and the Everlasting Father who tenderly takes away our burdens for perfection.
A Light Has Shined
In the midst of all of our darkness, a great light has shined. Often we forget the significance of the Advent season and look to traditions and events that are mere shadows of what this time of year is really about. So this Advent we want to be reminded of that fact that though things are very dark and very broken, Jesus has come and his coming has brought joy, life, truth, and peace.
Written Reminder
It is easy for us to be blind to the work that God is doing in the body here at Veritas, but God is moving among us. There are stories of multiplication, redemption, and hospitality going on all around us. There is a lot to celebrate, but we still need bold reminders of the call to become doers of the theology that Paul has laid out for us in his epistle to the Romans. Do our lives tell the story of redemption communicated in the scriptures? Are we, like Paul, living our lives as a liturgy to God in serving his people and our city?