Advent: Well-being for All

Shalom is what the psalmist prays for in Psalm 122. Shalom, well-being in every aspect of life. We translate it "peace" in English, but we lose much of the meaning.

Jerusalem is both the actual city, and the future hope that rests in God calling all cities to be "his." Jerusalem, literal and metaphorical, is the destination of God's people, living in a city ruled by God, under God's judgement, where God lives.

"Seeing" is the theme of our last few days of Advent and this psalmist "sees" in Jerusalem the shalom that is our hope.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

"May they prosper who love you.

Peace be within your walls,

and security within your towers.”

For the sake of my relatives and friends

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your good.

The prayer is for peace. But the psalmist doesn't stop there. Prayer becomes seen...enacted.

For the sake of relatives and friends, I will say "Peace be within you." For the sake of the house of the LORD, I will seek your good.

Well-being for all. Then the kingdom of God is seen.

I imagined re-creating one of our political debates in this column this morning, only having the participants say things like, "well, even though I like my tax cuts, for the sake of the house of the LORD, I will seek your good."

Sigh.

But I will say this to you. For the sake of the LORD, I will seek your good...your shalom. And I will pray that you will do that for the next person so that we are "bound firmly together."

That would be something to see!