"A Dream for Peace" - Psalm 72
Description
Date: December 7, 2025
Speaker: Rev. Jenell Coker
Scripture: Psalm 72
Welcome to the second week of Advent at The Collective Table. In this episode, Co-Lead Minister Jenell Coker explores the season's second theme: Peace.
We often imagine peace arriving through a powerful, top-down ruler—a "King David" figure who will fix everything from a throne. But drawing parallels between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech and David’s prayer in Psalm 72, Jenell reveals a subversive reality: the Kingdom of God often arrives not as a mighty cedar, but as a stubborn, unkillable root system.
Using the metaphor of a resilient Brazilian pepper tree in her own backyard, she illustrates how Jesus’ ministry was less about seizing political power and more like a mustard seed—grassroots, persistent, and sprouting up in unexpected places. This episode challenges us to stop waiting for the perfect leader to bring peace and instead asks us to consider where peace might be waiting to be born in us.
Key Takeaways:
The Dream of a Righteous King: Contrasting our human desire for a powerful political savior with the biblical vision of a King who prioritizes the poor, the needy, and the oppressed.
The Pepper Tree Metaphor: How a stubborn, "unkillable" stump in Jenell's yard teaches us about the eternal, resilient nature of God's Kingdom.
Grassroots Power: Understanding that while leaders like Dr. King give a movement voice, it is ordinary people—the "shoots rising from the ground"—who give it strength.
Conceiving Peace: A call to move beyond passive waiting during Advent and instead ask ourselves if we are "pregnant" with peace, ready to birth change in our own communities.
Memorable Quotes:
"We are not going to find lasting peace through just a couple of decent leaders... We're only going to find peace when that mustard seed grows within our own hearts."
"Dr. King gave a movement his voice. But the people gave it strength. They were the shoots rising from the ground everywhere. Like my pepper tree, they refused to die."
Resources:
This Podcast is a production of The Oceanside Sanctuary Church.
Scripture Reference: Psalm 72 (NRSVUE)
Chapters
United States
