Second Sunday of Advent: Peace (in the Kingdom)



As we consider peace in the Kingdom this week of advent, here’s what Jesus—the Prince of Peace—had to say as he prefaced his most famous oration on what living God’s Way is like:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”

There’s that word I considered so often while writing Living God's Way—“children”… to such as these belong the kingdom of heaven. If you have kids, you know there are many times a day that they seem anything but peaceful. It’s as if they have a secret quota of petty arguments, teasing, yelling, and crying to fill. But what they do better than most adults is make up for it. They don’t hold grudges long, and morph from mortal enemies to BFFs faster than you can say “snack time”. That’s the kind of soul Jesus needs in his Kingdom—the kind that seeks to restore harmony, and doesn’t become distracted and distorted by discord. We see a glimpse of this peacemaking in the 1971 cinematic masterpiece Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (yes, I have high standards).

At the end of the story, as Willy Wonka shows Charlie the door, Grandpa Joe irately inquires where his prize is. Wonka replies with animated fervor, “You stole Fizzy Lifting Drinks, you bumped into the ceiling which now has to be washed and sterilized, so you get nothing! You lose. Good day, sir!”

Grandpa Joe indignantly summons Charlie to leave, but the boy doesn’t respond. He understands what he did wrong, and remembers the Everlasting Gobstopper in his pocket that he had also taken without asking. Silently, Charlie walks over to Wonka’s desk, and sets it down—a peace offering, in hopes of restoring harmony.

“So shines a good deed in a weary world.”

Wonka spins around and embraces Charlie: “You WON!… I knew you would do it, I just knew you would!… Forgive me for putting you through this… I had to test you.”

Wonka continues: “I can't go on forever, and I don't really want to try. So, who can I trust to run the factory when I leave and take care of the Oompa Loompas for me? Not a grownup. A grownup would want to do everything his own way, not mine. That's why I decided a long time ago I had to find a child. A very honest, loving child to whom I can tell all my most precious candy making secrets.”

  

Say what you will about a movie that was meant to advertise a candy bar, that last scene always gets me thinking about the character God desires in Kingdom participants. Rather than suspicious or arrogant, children tend to be more trusting and humble than adults—a precondition for peaceful engagement. Let's seek to reclaim that part of ourselves, and encourage it in our children this week. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be.




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