December 13: Wisdom

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.- Luke 2:40
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It’s hard to “get” wisdom without understanding the concept of “shalom.” The Hebrew word for peace, “shalom” signifies more than the absence of conflict: it is the blessed condition in which everything reflects God’s right ordering. Shalom was fractured at the Fall when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and polluted our race with sin. Shalom was fractured then, but it was not demolished. We live, as it were, in its ruins.

And wisdom is the skill required by those who would take up the cause of Shalom, who would be “Peacemakers.”

And Christmas is a time for taking up the cause of Shalom, for remembering that Jesus came not to make us comfortable in a stable, but to deputize us in the project of making the stable into a temple. It takes a great deal of wisdom to see the outline of shalom through the debris of our sadly fallen world, and a great deal of wisdom to start taking those steps that make shalom more of a reality for our homes and our communities.

But don’t despair: stocking your Christmas pantry with five pound bags of wisdom won’t bust your budget. God has promised to give wisdom “generously to all, without finding fault,” if only we ask Him. So ask Him!
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Mix up your own mulling spices for hot cider. It’s hard to believe that something as wonderful as hot apple cider could be improved upon, but mulling spices are like pure Christmas magic. Experiment with ingredients and proportions to suit your preferences, but consider including cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, star anise, dried cranberries, orange peel and anything else that would be the right kind of warm and spicy. And mixed together in a mason jar the mulling spices are as lovely as they are delicious.

Written by: Joel Tate

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