The Peace We Long For: Advent in Disorienting Times | Day 1

Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:9-10

The late Walter Brueggeman suggests, “that human beings regularly find themselves in one of three places:

1. a place of orientation, in which everything makes sense in our lives;

2. a place of disorientation, in which we feel we have sunk into the pit; and

3. a place of new orientation, in which we realize that God has lifted us out of the pit and we are in a new place full of gratitude and awareness about our lives and our God.”

The opening words of James chapter 4 don’t convey the joyful spirit of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” Instead, they express the frustration of an angry prophet confronting people whose spirituality appears disconnected from their hearts.

Advent is a favorite season for many of us, perhaps because it mirrors Lent but with a better soundtrack and storyline. We often recognize the needs of our hearts and how our actions can lead us to a new place and a new orientation—one that is not devoid of gratitude, even amid hardships and lurking chaos. However, there is that disorienting phase in the middle that we cannot avoid.

Brueggemann points out that the only path to a new orientation is disorientation. A journey through pain—pain that comes from questioning, from new actions, and from grief.

James reminds us that our next steps lead not to a promised land but to grief and lament. 

As we explore the concept of peace during these disorienting times, we will consider what wholeness looks like in our world. The painful reality of bringing this vision to life will require something meaningful from us.

Prayer: Lord, make us an instrument of your peace.

Peace of God reflections:

https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/29114/peace-of-god