Today we stand post-crucifixion and post-Easter, forgiven and filled with His Spirit, but the manger beckons us to come look again. It is the place where we first hoped that God, in all His kindness, could stoop so low and cast His lot in with us. The manger is the first glimpse where we believed God could take us in, warts and all.

Joy is not naïve. Joy is not shallow. Joy does not deny pain or gloss over suffering. Joy looks darkness in the face and proclaims that it will not last. Joy is what happens when Christ arrives in the very places where we once felt hopeless or alone.

The way forward is not reactionary reform, but a return to the center. A recovery of Christ Himself. Only when Christ returns to the pulpit in substance, not just in name, will love displace control, healing replace harm, and the Church become again what she was always meant to be.

Advent peace is a gift, a calling, and a promise. It is the peace Isaiah longed for, the peace the angels announced, the peace Jesus purchased, the peace the Spirit applies, and the peace that will ultimately fill all creation when the Prince of Peace returns. As you walk through this week, may you rest in the truth that peace has come, peace is with you, and peace is on its way.

When Jesus returns, He will not whisk us off into a vague spiritual cloud where we lose all real experience. He will renew creation itself. The sky will be clearer, the air purer, the earth restored, and our bodies raised in glory.

To all the IHOPKC family (past and present interns, students, staff, and church members), I am deeply sorry. Please forgive me for the pain I caused or contributed to.