An Advent Storybook and Study: Seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Copyright 2025 by Lūminé Press, Written by Elsie Lungren, Illustrated by Nicoleta Dabija
Day 08
“Today,” began Mormor, “we light two candles on our Advent wreath. The first candle helped us to remember that because of Jesus, we have Hope. Today, and throughout this week, the second candle will help us remember that because of Jesus, we have Peace.
“I don’t feel peace when I am fighting with Lukas,” spoke up Astrid.
Everyone laughed.
“It is true, Astrid,” continued Mormor, “that we often think of peace as getting along with each other, or when there is no fighting among countries of the world or among different groups within one country, or even just feeling personal contentment with our life. We might think of peace as the opposite of anxiety or worry. Whenever there is conflict or disagreement, we want peace. There are many types of conflict. It could be inner conflict such as when we struggle within ourselves to make a decision, or when we have doubt about what to believe. Or, it could be interpersonal such as when there is disagreement between ourselves and others. Or, it could be ideological or political, such as when groups of people see the problems and solutions in the country in very different ways. Or, it could be international, such as when countries are fighting or arguing with each other.
“So with all the conflict in the world, we need to think about what it means, as we light this second candle, to say that Jesus brought the gift of peace into the world. In the Old Testament, the prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 said that Jesus will be called the ‘Prince of Peace.’ And in the New Testament, even though we haven’t gotten there yet in our story, we can look at Luke 2:14 to see the angels proclaiming that the birth of Jesus is bringing peace on earth:
‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’ (Luke 2:13-14, KJV).”
“So, the Bible tells us that Jesus, also named the Prince of Peace, came to bring peace on earth, and yet we see conflict all around us and even inside of us. This seems like a mystery. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?”
Linnea raised her hand. “Maybe Jesus didn’t come to solve our problems for us, but to show us by his example how we can treat other people with love and kindness.”
“Great thinking, Linnea,” said Mormor. “You are right. The example that Jesus set for us is that of a peacemaker. He even said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ in Matthew 5:9. But, that doesn’t mean he never disagreed with anyone. He was willing to talk to anyone, even those who disagreed with him, and he spoke with respect and civility, logic, knowledge of history and the law and of Scripture, and examples. He stood up for what He knew to be right, but He did not use violence against people. Instead, he had conversation with them.”
“What about the time that Jesus got angry and overturned the tables at the temple?” asked Theo.
“Good question, Theo,” said Mormor. “That incident is explained in John 2:13-16. Jesus arrived at the temple to find that instead of using it as a place for prayer and for respecting God’s presence, people were using it as a place to make money. By cheating and stealing, they were taking advantage of those who had come to the temple to worship God. The temple was God’s house, and it was being used in a way that did not represent all that God stood for. Instead of treating people with compassion, it was exploiting them. It was neither fair nor just. By overturning the tables, Jesus shows us that he was willing to stand against injustice and abuse, and to stand up for the name of His Father, God. If Jesus cared that much about how the temple of God was treated and used, imagine how much He cares about how we treat our own bodies since 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 tells us that each of our bodies is God’s temple as the Holy Spirit lives in us? What do you think are some ways that we can take good care of our bodies and minds?”
Lukas spoke up. “We can eat healthy food and exercise.”
Theo added, “We can make good choices about the books we read, the movies we watch, the games we play, and the music we listen to.”
Mormor smiled. “Yes, those are great ideas. God gave us five senses with which we take in information from the world around us and bring it straight into our brain. Everything we see and hear goes into our brain for processing. It can affect our feelings, thoughts, words, and actions. So, if we want to respect our body as a place where God lives, then we want to feed it with healthy food but also with healthy content.
“From Jesus’s example, we see how he interacts with others who disagree with him, and we also see how he stands up for that which is right, such as respecting God’s presence in the temple. Any other ideas about how Jesus brought the gift of peace?”
Annika said, “I am thinking about Jesus’ big Rescue Plan. Before Jesus came, people couldn’t have a relationship with God because of their sin. But because Jesus came and paid the price for everyone’s sin, their relationship with God was fixed if they were willing to accept who Jesus was and what He did for them.”
“Yes,” said Mormor. “Isn’t that amazing? Jesus loved us so much that He gave up His own life so that the relationship between people and God could be fixed! Getting a relationship fixed is called reconciliation. When there is forgiveness, a broken relationship can be fixed. Romans 5:10 tells us that ‘we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.’ That means ‘we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1).
“In our own lives, if someone treats us in a way that is unfair, unkind, or wrong, and we forgive that person, and we apologize for things we might have done or said that were hurtful, and they forgive us, then there can be reconciliation. Peace can replace the conflict. Of course, it is hard work because both sides have to make that choice. If one of the sides doesn’t believe in Jesus or try to follow His example, then it can be hard for there to be peace. But, we are only responsible for ourselves. It helps to remember that if we have invited Jesus into our heart, then we are God’s temple, and we want to make sure that temple is clean. We want our minds to be full of clean and good thoughts, and we want to keep our bodies safe and pure, and we want to be loving, kind, and respectful in how we treat others. That is the example that Jesus set for us.”
“Can anyone think of another way that Jesus brought us the gift of peace?”
Astrid said, “I memorized Galatians 5:22-23 and I know that peace is a fruit of the Spirit!”
“Great memory, Astrid!” Mormor said. “And guess who sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in us? Listen to these words that Jesus said in John 14:27:
26‘But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’
“In John 15:26, Jesus says, ‘When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father…’
“Then, in Acts 1:4, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as ‘the gift my Father promised.’
“When we put those verses together,” said Mormor, “as great Bible detectives do, we can see that the Holy Spirit, also known as the Counselor, is a gift that Jesus and his Father God gave to us, and then we know that having the Holy Spirit in us produces the fruit described in Galatians 5:22-23:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.’
The fruit does not just magically appear in our lives, but the seeds are planted and God lets us know what we can do to help the fruit grow and blossom. For example, listen to what Paul says in Philippians 4:4-7:
‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’
“This type of peace is inner peace. It helps us with inner conflict such as when we struggle with doubt or decisions. God encourages us to pray. In Proverbs 16:3, we are told, ‘Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The LORD works out everything for his own ends.’ And then Romans 8:28 says, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’
“In other words, when we pray and tell God about our ideas and requests, and let Him know that we want to follow His lead and let His will be done, God will work everything out in a way that is according to His plan and purpose, and that will result in something good. It might not be what we were expecting or hoping for, and it might take some time before we are able to look back and see it, but we can feel certainty that God will bring goodness from it, somehow and someday. How can we feel certainty? Because God promises us and God keeps His word. And the certainty allows us to feel a sense of peace. We know that God’s got this.
“Looking back at Philippians 4:4-7, notice that being thankful doesn’t happen AFTER we see how things turn out, when we can see the goodness that God brought forth. It happens BEFORE we even know how things are going to turn out. It is easy to be thankful after something good happens. But imagine if we can make our requests known to God, and feel thankful to Him before we even know how things are going to turn out! That is possible if we believe in the promise of Romans 8:28. And as a surprise reward, it turns out that being thankful gives us a positive attitude, and that fills our insides up with good things, with things that are nutritious for our souls.
“Let’s go back to John chapter 14 and read what Jesus says in verse 27. In the New Living Translation, He says: ‘I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid’ (John 14:27 NLT).
“Then, in John 16:33, Jesus says: ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’
“In the world today, we might feel like there isn’t very much peace. But we can remember that with Jesus, there is always peace. It’s not yet peace for the world; it’s peace for us.
“From the example He set for us, we have tools for being a peacemaker, for being civil when having conversations with people who disagree with us, and for being someone who can stand up for what is respectful of God. From his death and resurrection, we have reconciliation with God and thus have peace with God. And from the gift of the Holy Spirit that was given in His name, we have the capacity for inner peace even in the midst of difficult things happening in life. As for “peace on Earth,” that is yet to come, as Jesus will be coming again!”
Readings: Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:13-14, John 14:27 and 16:33, Philippians 4:4-7
Hymn: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear by Edmund H. Sears in 1849
