Day 2: A Meal of Peace

Do you feel distant from God?

Because of our sin, we often feel unworthy of God's love and acceptance. We desire intimate fellowship with our Creator, yet our shortcomings leave us feeling like undeserving outcasts.

In Leviticus, God provided instructions for the Israelites to enjoy a fellowship meal with him (see Leviticus 3, 7:11-38). In this special offering, different portions were designated for God, the priest, and the worshipper to enjoy. This ritual symbolized that God and the worshipper were sharing a meal together. In other words, they were at peace.

But animal sacrifice was insufficient to atone for human sin (see Hebrews 10:1-10). In love, God acted to bring us lasting peace through the sacrifice of his own Son.

In the Gospels, we see Jesus sharing many meals with his disciples. But the most important one is the Passover meal known as the Last Supper. As Jesus passed the bread to his disciples, Judas finalized his decision to betray Jesus. It's a foreshadowing that Jesus' gift of peace came at a sacrificial cost.

Moments later, Jesus tells the remaining disciples: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you." He then explained that he would depart and go to the Father before returning in the future (see John 14:27-31). Throughout this meal, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that he must go to the cross and be the sacrifice for their sins, because he wants to give them his peace.

Just as the Israelites waited for the Messiah to come, we are still waiting for Jesus to return.

Instead of waiting with anxiety, stress, or fear, God wants us to wait with peace. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Paul tells us that Jesus instructed his disciples to regularly rehearse this fellowship meal until Jesus comes again. Every time we take communion, we are enjoying a fellowship meal with God.

Advent is another season to remember God's gift of peace. It reminds us that God wants fellowship with us, so he became flesh and dwelt among us! As we await the celebration of our Savior's birth, God is inviting you to enjoy peace—fellowship—with him.