God`s Peace

Summary

Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say, “Envision World Peace?”  Or have you heard the phrase, “Peace in our time?”  These sayings, “Envision World Peace,”  “Peace in our time” and “Peace now” declare the utopian hopes, even dreams of many people.  But you know, I think the idea of world-wide peace is preposterous.  It is just never going to happen.

I dare you to open any history book of any country and find any period of great length that did not include violence or war.  Of course it’s impossible to open a world history and find any period without war somewhere.  Let’s face it we humans are incapable of keeping a durable peace.

Let me share a little joke concerning peace in the world.  It begins…

In Jerusalem, a CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Wailing Wall to pray, twice a day, everyday, for a long, long time. So she went to check it out. She went to the Wailing Wall and there he was!

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, she approached him for an interview. “I’m from CNN. Sir, how long have you been coming to the Wall and praying?” “For about 60 years.” “60 years! That’s amazing! What do you pray for?” “I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all our children to grow up in safety and friendship.” “How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?” “I feel like I’m talking to a wall!”

The absence of world peace is nothing new.

In the book of Jeremiah we find this verse, “But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.”

He says this because prophets who prophesied peace were considered false prophets, for peace never came.  Jeremiah 6:14 reads, “[false prophets] dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”

Even in ancient times there was the realization that peace upon earth was impossible.

So, you are asking yourself, what is Pastor Joel trying to get at by telling us that peace on earth is impossible?  What does this have to do with anything that we’ve read this morning?

Well, stick with me, ‘cause I hope to show you that peace has to something to do with us, this morning and every morning.

I have shared that I do not think that the earth will ever have peace.  And what I mean here, is not only the absence of violence by war, but violence by oppression, segregation, defamation, namely the abuse of others through injustice.  The world will never experience that kind of peace, but, and this is a beautiful but, we can.

God wants to create peace in our lives.  God wants peace to inundate our lives through the gift of eternal life by his love.  In Romans we heard Paul say, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You see God gives us the greatest gift, life in him forever.  And it’s only through life with God, lived in God’s love that we can truly experience peace.  God wants his peace to invade our lives.  God wants his peace to change us, to change the way we live life and thus the way we view others.  God’s peace starts in our inner selves and works outward into the world.  Let me share a quote with you that can help us to understand God’s peace.  The writer is unknown,

“Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

In the midst of life’s worries and turmoil we can find calm, because God is our peace.  How does this happen?  How does God give peace?

God gives peace, God creates peace through helping his faithful to live lives that are centered upon what God wants for our lives, God’s love for all.  As with all things pertaining to the Creator of the universe, it’s very simple and yet very hard.

God is asking us to change our focus, our goals, our desires and our reason for being, from one of selfish endeavor to one of selfless love.  What I mean is, that we change our focus from pursuing simply what we want and desire, be it; money, things, position, power or other people, to that of love and care for; God, God’s creation, both people and the earth, and true love of self.  It’s all very simple, and yet very hard.   We do not naturally turn to God first for our needs.  We are not internally wired to look after other people’s needs ahead of our own.  We do not care for our own needs and health ahead of our lusts and desires.  It is not easy.  But how do we start?

As usual, Jesus shows the way, again and again.  This morning we heard him say, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”

What Jesus teaches is very simple…and yep, you got it, very hard too.   You see, even though the world as a whole will never experience peace, that does not mean that God does not want us to try and create peace.  Jesus is constantly speaking out for peace he just doesn’t always use that word.  Whenever he speaks for justice Jesus is speaking for peace between peoples. Whenever he calls for forgiveness he is calling for peace between persons. Whenever he teaches faith he is teaching peace within one’s heart.  And when he preaches love, he is preaching, justice, forgiveness and faith active in our lives.

But as we know, Jesus never simply talked in generalities, he always got down to the specifics, and that is where this morning’s ‘cup of cold water’ enters into our discussion.  The offering of a ‘cup of cold water’ is peace in action.  Justice, forgiveness and faith are only as alive as the actions which highlight their existence.

Like the old question of, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”  We know God’s peace is present only when we experience it.

Mother Antonia was a Catholic nun who realized that her prayers were good, but her simple actions of love, along with her prayers were better?  Mother Antonia made the unheralded move to live in a cell in a Mexican prison so as to care for its prisoners. Please listen to a quote from concerning her ministry, “One day as she was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take to prisoners, she paused with a puzzled look on her face.  “You know,” she said, “people think what I do is so extraordinary.  But look at me; what am I doing?  Anyone can do it.  There are so many things people can do.  It doesn’t have to be enormous.  It’s the little things.  Anyone can make a sandwich.”

And Jesus taught, that anyone can give another person a ‘cup of cold water.’ How do we learn to accept God’s peace within our own hearts, our own lives?  How do we learn to start reaching out beyond ourselves with the peace that God gives?

Be it cold water, a hot meal, forgiveness of a father, the gift of a used car so someone can get to work, friendship to an old enemy, a raise in pay to an employee, be it what’s needed at the moment.   For each of us, that ‘cup of cold water’ will look slightly different.  In fact we might not know what it looks like until the moment we realize that we need to act out God’s peace in another’s life.  Each morning let us ask God how we will give a ‘cup of cold water’ today?  For in the giving we will be creating peace, not world peace, but God’s peace for a moment and possibly for eternity.

Amen

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