Poem: “Advent Peace Psalm” (Unknown)

O Prince of Peace,
whose Advent we seek in our lives,
come this day and show us
how to beat our swords into plowshares,
tools of life instead of instruments of fear.

May your love strip us naked
of all weapons and strategies of conquest,
which are not the tools of lovers,
wise ones and God’s children.

Let us not lust for power
but rather strive for the insight
to be guided on the Way of Peace.

Let us be Advent adventurers and peacemakers,
hammering swords into shovels,
filling holes and leveling peaks.

Let us be disarmed and vulnerable,
for only through such open hands and hearts
can Emmanuel come.