Advent 4—December 19, 2021
Micah 5:2-5a
Unexpected and Unlikely Source of Peace
Thought For Today: “From Bethlehem shall be one of peace.” Micah 5:5 (NRSV)
People today expect those in powerful governmental positions to solve societal problems. We turn to professionals to make us less vulnerable to the threats and risks we face. Sometimes we expect someone else to intervene for us when it would have been just as easy for us to resolve a problem ourselves.
Bethlehem was seen as with little significance—nothing important could come from there! Micah tells us that the one who will bring peace won’t be coming from the big metropolitan areas but from the little town of Bethlehem. From the most unlikely of places, great things can happen!
Most people live and thrive in ordinary quarters like Bethlehem. Few expect us to do amazing things. But all of us residing in our respective Bethlehems are called to do something for peace in the world. We might live on the wrong side of the tracks. There are nooks and crannies of neighborhoods that have long been forgotten and not seen as newsworthy. Advent calls us to open our eyes, cup our ears, and rumble our hearts to the least of these among us. Where I live, besides volunteering in a food bank, I need to also help reform laws that created the wide gap between the haves and the have-nots. What might you do to bring peace to your community?
Jesus comes from one of the little clans. Therefore, we too who may feel unworthy, unlikely and no one is expecting us to do anything are called to bring joy and peace.
Prayer: O God, as the Prince of Peace comes, lead us to live lives of peace and hope when we actively serve in your name. Amen.
Donald Ng, Sausalito, CA