The Peace We Long For: Advent in Disorienting Times | Day 24

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

Every time we gather around this time on Christmas Eve, we retell the story. We see how gospel writers like Matthew and Luke found that the story they were now telling was a story that had been told before.

I remember growing up, sometimes getting anxious around Christmas time. Mostly, like every kid, worried that I wasn't going to get what I asked for. Was I naughty or nice? And when I didn't get what I wanted and then saw my siblings get what they asked for, I could get frustrated. Or as my siblings opened gifts, I was doing a cost comparison to determine who was the favorite among us.

As I have grown older, really these moments have become about being present with my family, enjoying one another, eating good food, telling and narrating stories, and participating in traditions.

As a kid, what I thought I needed was the latest, greatest thing. But what I really longed for was that time with my family. That is what I love about the prophet Isaiahs readings.

Israel was in a battle for its life against the looming threat of the Babylonians. The king needed a sign. A sign of bigger armies and better coalitions to beat the Babylonians.

But this is not the gift Isaiah is promising. Isaiah is promising a baby that would bring about peace. A vulnerable, dependent on another human being for everything, baby.

The sign that God is with us is often not found in the things we desire. But much more in the simple, beautiful relationships. May we today celebrate each other and the profound and beautiful gift of friendships and community.

I invite you to join me in this gratitude practice below:

1. Bring to mind a current frustration or worry. Notice its weight, its texture, how it feels in your body. Don’t rush to change it—just observe it with gentle attention.

2. Now, bring to mind something for which you feel genuinely grateful. Perhaps it’s a relationship, a moment of beauty, or even simple provisions like shelter or clean water. Don’t choose something abstract—focus on something specific and real in your life.

3. Try to hold both the frustration and the gratitude with equal intensity. Notice what happens. Most people find that one begins to overshadow the other.

4. Intentionally deepen your focus on gratitude. Recall details, sensory experiences, and why this particular gift matters to you.

5. Return attention to your initial worry. Has something shifted in your relationship to it? Not that it’s disappeared, but has its hold on your attention changed?