Dear Rose Park,
There’s something satisfying about an orderly work place or a neatly organized drawer; I’m not sure how to put it into words but there’s something simply satisfying when everything is in its’ place, when it’s perfectly symmetrical, or when a set is complete. Maybe this is just me, but I doubt it.
In a sense, this is what the biblical word shalom means. We typically translate this Hebrew word to mean peace, but it’s so much more than that. When we use the word peace more often than not we are really talking about the absence of war and violence, but the word shalom points more to a sense of wholeness or completeness. Shalom is used throughout the Old Testament to describe altars without any blemishes and cracks (Joshua 8:31) or a completed stone wall without missing bricks or even when Job describes his flocks having shalom because none of his animals are missing (Job 5:24). The word goes far beyond objects as well, it is also attributed to people.
Shalom can used to describe the process of repayment or restoration. When your animal damages your neighbors field you can offer shalom by paying the damages to bring about restoration (Exodus 22:4). Perhaps the most powerful use of the word shalom is in the context of rival nations. When rival nations make shalom not only do they stop waging war against one another, but instead they seek to work together for their mutual benefit.
Imagine if your family gatherings sought shalom. Imagine if your conversations around the Christmas dinner table weren’t just absent of snide remarks, sarcastic comments and obvious eye-rolls, but instead they intentionally sought mutual benefit and reconciliation. Imagine if your visits weren’t filled with a spirit of guilt and your gifts weren’t given with a sense of obligation, but instead they were offered as a gesture of love and hospitality to bring about balance and restoration.
Each of us has the opportunity to be an agent of shalom. As you gather and celebrate the birth of the Christ-child may you seek to bring about wholeness to each relationship you step into.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
Photo by Ullash Borah on Unsplash
This letter was inspired and influenced by Bible Project’s overview on shalom; click here to watch the short video.