Season of Advent

Jerusalem is an interesting place. The city is very different today than it was during the time of the Psalmist. I cannot help but find irony in the words of Psalm 22.

 

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
            ‘May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
              And security within you towers.’”

 

I am often confronted with the large ugly concrete slabs put together to from the separation barrier in East Jerusalem. My eyes fall upon the towers placed around the checkpoints, searching for a face that might be looking at me. These defenses were built in the name of defense. Like any defense wall, they are made to keep certain people out; the towers built to watch for “enemies.” Jerusalem is for those who love it.

 

The irony there is more than one people love Jerusalem. The city has been sought after for thousands of years by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Walls do not stop people from longing for this city, this place. It did not stop the Psalmist, and it does not stop the people who live here today.

 

One beauty of Advent is the preparation we all go through. We prepare ourselves mentally and in relationships. People often try to rekindle old friendships or release old grudges. Israel and Palestine are no different. I am always in awe of those who reach across the walls to offer their hand and declare “Peace be within you.” Sometimes it is “for the sake of… relatives and friends,” sometimes for himself/herself. The moments of peace and reconciliation serve as a light in the darkness, a candle giving light on the pathway to peace and Christ’s coming.

 

I, along with the Psalmist, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” I struggle with some of the darkness that surrounds the conflict in the Holy Land. Yet daily I look for Christ’s face and peace to shine like the sun in this place. While in this place, “I will seek your good.”

 

-Kevin