Love’s pure light: Advent weekly devotionals, PEACE

“Comfort, o comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1).

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that when we are not at peace, God provides comfort. God is always there, ready and willing, for us to turn over all of our problems. However, sometimes our lack of peace stems from our hearts breaking for the many around us who are hurting, and the injustices of our world.

The prophet continues in Isaiah 40:3-4:

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord. We also need to prepare our hearts.

Often Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. In our world that is full of hurting people, we need the peace that only God can give to us. Sometimes we cannot see people’s pain…they may smile, even when they feel like crying. Other times we read about or watch painful stories about members of our community on the news. We may intimately know the pain of a loved one, and certainly we all have our own troubles.

We are called to prepare the way by responding to the many hurts around us. We can shine the light of peace so that the places that may feel like the wilderness will instead feel like even, level ground for all.

We can visit the lonely, take a meal to the sick and volunteer with an organization that is serving a group or cause that makes our heart break.

One way to define peace is knowing that we are doing what God has called us to do. It may also be defined as security, freedom, harmony and tranquility.

Prayer: Prince of Peace, we anticipate you coming to us as an infant in a world that was in distress. We long for the peace that you offer, and we want to be a part of sharing that peace with others. Send us your peace, and stir our hearts to be peacemakers. Amen.

Activity: Make and give an Ornament

Think of someone special as you are making your ornament. Give it to them, or to someone else who may be feeling a little sad this season. See options for this project below, or if you aren’t able to create something, you can purchase an ornament or choose one you have on hand.

Below are three recipes for making an ornament in your kitchen. Choose a salt, cornstarch or cinnamon dough, or try them all!  You can use string, ribbon, yarn or twine to hang the ornaments.

Salt dough ornament

You will need:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water
Cookie cutter
Drinking straw or pencil

Mix the dough, roll it out and use a cookie cutter for the shape that you want. Use a pencil eraser or drinking straw to cut a hole in top for string. Bake at 175 degrees for 3 hours. Decorate if you wish!

Cornstarch ornament

You will need:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cups baking soda
3/4  cup water
Cookie cutter
Drinking straw or pencil

1. Combine baking soda and cornstarch in a medium pot. Add water and mix well.
2. Place the pot over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. When it reaches a “mashed potatoes consistency,” remove from heat.
3. Form the dough into a ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
5. Use a drinking straw or pencil to poke a hole in the ornament for string.
6. Let ornaments dry for 24 hours, flipping them once. When they are dry, you can paint them or leave them matte white.

Cinnamon dough ornament

You will need:
2 cups flour
½ cup cinnamon
Salt
Water
Cookie Cutter

1. Mix the dry ingredients until no clumps remain. Pour in warm water. Mix until well combined and dough is formed.
2. Form the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness.
3. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Use a pencil eraser or drinking straw to cut a hole in top for string.
4. OPTION 1: Air dry by placing the ornaments on wax paper on a drying rack. It could take a couple of days for the dough to be completely hardened through.
5. OPTION 2: For a quicker project, place ornaments on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 ½ hours.
6. Decorate if you wish or leave them as-is.