Second Sunday of Advent: Peace That Looks Wild

 


Isaiah 11:1–10 | Psalm 72:1–7, 18–19 | Romans 15:4–13 | Matthew 3:1–12

Advent moves forward this week, and the theme shifts from hope to peace. But not the soft, candlelit kind we often imagine. The peace in today’s readings isn’t sentimental or quiet—it’s disruptive, restorative, and surprisingly fierce.

In Scripture, peace shows up like a wild thing breaking into the world.

A Shoot From a Stump

Isaiah opens with one of the most vivid images in the Bible:

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse.”

Not a mighty cedar.
Not a regal oak.
A stump—cut down, lifeless, forgotten.

Isaiah is speaking to a nation exhausted by failure and exile, and into that weariness God says:
I’m not done. My promise isn’t over. Life is coming from what looks dead.

And what a life it is.
The Messiah who rises from Jesse’s stump brings justice to the poor, righteousness to the vulnerable, and a peace so deep that wolves nap beside lambs and lions graze with calves. Even creation is renewed.

This is not escapist peace—it’s restoration. God putting things right again, starting in the places where hope felt impossible.

A King Who Brings Justice

Psalm 72 picks up that vision and broadens it. Here, the promised king rules with wisdom, defends the needy, and crushes oppression.

Biblical peace—shalom—always involves justice.
If justice is missing, peace is only pretending.

But where God’s reign takes hold, the poor are lifted up, the vulnerable are protected, and righteousness flourishes “like rain falling on a mown field.” The world becomes alive again.

Advent doesn’t tell us to ignore the world’s pain.
It tells us God is entering it to heal and redeem.

A Community Formed by Hope

Paul, writing to the Romans, reminds the Church that Scripture was given “so that by steadfastness and encouragement we might have hope.” But he doesn’t stop at hope—he pushes the Church to become a community shaped by that hope.

He calls Jews and Gentiles—groups divided for centuries—to live in harmony so they can glorify God together.
This is Isaiah’s peace gaining flesh and blood inside the Church.

A new community becomes possible in Christ:

  • enemies becoming siblings

  • strangers becoming family

  • people who once stood apart now worshiping side by side

Advent peace isn’t just something we’re waiting for.
It’s something we’re called to embody.

Prepare the Way

And just as we’re settling into that warm vision of peace, John the Baptist bursts onto the scene in Matthew 3:

“Prepare the way of the Lord! Repent!”

John reminds us that God’s peace isn’t passive.
We’re not spectators—we’re participants.

We can’t welcome the Prince of Peace without letting Him confront the parts of us that recoil from His rule. John’s words about axes and unfruitful trees can sound harsh, but they’re actually the urgency of love. God refuses to leave us stuck in fear, bitterness, or sin.

Repentance isn’t about shame.
It’s about opening space for life.
Clearing the rubble so that the shoot of Jesse can take root in us.

What Advent Asks of Us

1. Notice the stumps.
Those places in your life that feel cut down, barren, or hopeless—Advent invites you to trust that God can bring life even there.

2. Pursue peace that looks like justice.
Lift up the vulnerable.
Heal relationships.
Seek reconciliation.
Let peace move beyond words into action.

3. Repent as preparation, not punishment.
Ask yourself:

  • What needs healing?

  • What habits need pruning?

  • What resentments need surrendering?

  • What fears need Christ’s light?

4. Remember God keeps His promises.
The shoot grows.
The wolf and lamb draw near.
The nations rejoice.
And the God of hope fills us with joy and peace as we trust Him.

A Final Word

As we journey through Advent, may our hearts open to the One who comes not to condemn but to redeem. May His peace heal what’s broken in us and among us. And may we become people who overflow with hope through the power of the Spirit.

Amen.

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