"A Time for Peace" Romans 14: 17-19

Introduction

English Standard Version (Romans 14:17–19)

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Sunday Prayer- from the Shalem Institute

In the face of war I’m so small. Yet love is big.

I can’t make the world be peaceful

I can’t stall tanks from roaring down roads

I can’t prevent children from having to hide in bunkers

I can’t convince the news to stop turning war into a video game

I can’t silence the sound of bombs tearing neighborhoods apart

I can’t turn a guided missile into a bouquet of flowers

I can’t make a warmonger have an ounce of empathy

I can’t convince ambassadors to quit playing truth or dare

I can’t deflect a sniper’s bullet from turning a wife into a widow

I can’t stave off a country being reduced to ash and rubble

I can’t do any of that

the only thing I can do is love the next person I encounter without any conditions or strings

to love my neighbor so fearlessly that it starts a ripple that stretches from one horizon to the next

I can’t force peace on the world

but I can become a force of peace in the world

because

sometimes all it takes is a single lit candle in the darkness

to start a movement

“Lord, make me a candle of comfort in this world

let me burn with peace”

~ john roedel

Amen.

TODAY BELOVEDS, WE COME TO OUR GOD HUMBLY, CONCERNED ABOUT OUR WORLD

AND THE STATE OF THINGS....SO

THIS SERMON BEGAN WITH PRAYER AND WE SHALL CLOSE WITH

PRAYER......TOGETHER, IN COMMUNITY WITH ONE

ANOTHER, WE CONFESS THAT OUR TASK IS TO IMAGINE AND ANTICIPATE WHAT

PEACE FEELS LIKE SO WE CAN

EXPERIENCE IT AGAIN.....IN A COMPILATION OF ONE OF OUR TIMES MOST POPULAR

PAINTER’S WORKS, THE

PAINTER THOMAS KINKADE ASKS READERS TO ENGAGE IN AN EXERCISE; ONE OF

BEAUTY, SIMPLICITY AND GRACE....

I WOULD INVITE YOU TO ENGAGE IT NOW:

IMAGINE A LIFE WHERE THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME, PLENTY OF ENERGY, PLENTY OF

OPPORTUNITY FOR

EVERYTHING YOU FEEL IS IMPORTANT — PLUS A LITTLE LEFT OVER FOR SOME

THINGS YOU SIMPLY ENJOY.

THINK ABOUT A LIFE WHERE WORK COMMANDS YOUR ENERGY AND INVOLVEMENT

BUT DOES NOT REQUIRE YOU

TO SELL YOUR SOUL, WHERE LEISURE TIME RELAXES AND RESTORES YOU,

(RETIREES) WHERE YOU ENJOY BOTH

SOLITUDE AND FRIENDSHIPS. A LIFE WHERE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INTELLECTUAL

PURSUITS, EMOTIONAL

INVOLVEMENTS AND SPIRITUAL DEVOTION SUPPORT EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF

FIGHTING FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

KINKADE CALLS THIS A “BALANCED AND HARMONIOUS EXISTENCE”- I’D LIKE TO

MAKE A CASE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL

PICTURE BEING A PICTURE OF PEACE.....A PEACE WORTH HOPING FOR, A PEACE

WORTH STRIVING FOR BELOVEDS....

THOUGH THE GREEK WORD FOR PEACE MEANS THE ABSENCE OF WAR OR CONFLICT,

THE NEW TESTAMENT HELPS

US SEE MANY MORE DIMENSIONS OF PEACE.......

PAUL’S ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE ROMANS

HERE IN PAUL’S LETTER TO THE ROMANS WE HEAR PAUL EXTENDING THE VISION FOR

PEACE FROM THE EARTHLY

REALM TO WHAT PEACE IN THE KIN-DOM OF GOD IS LIKE......IT’S AS IF PAUL IS SAYING

PEACE IS BEYOND THE

LIMITATIONS EARTH PUTS ON IT, WHERE CHIEF AMONG OUR CONCERNS IS THE

EATING AND DRINKING THAT WE

MUST DO TO SURVIVE......IN HIS LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS PAUL EVEN POINTS

OUT HOW THE TABLE WHERE

EATING AND DRINKING IN THE COMMUNION PRACTICES OF THE COMMUNITY WAS

CAUSING DIVISION AND STRIFE

EATING AND DRINKING IN THE CORINTHIAN COMMUNITY WAS CAUSING THEM TO

LOSE THEIR PEACE.....HERE IN

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS PAUL IS SAYING, PURSUE PEACE BY RECOGNIZING JOY,

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE

IN THE HOLY SPIRIT........IN EVERY GENERATION SINCE BIBLE TIMES WE’VE HAD

THEOLOGIANS AND RELIGIOUS

LEADERS ENCOURAGING US TO PURSUE AND STRIVE FOR PEACE WHETHER WE

ACHIEVE IT OR NOT.......WHAT IF

THAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S POWER AND PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES AND

HEARTS?....WHAT IF THE GIFT

OF THE COMFORTER, THAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALWAYS THERE INVITING US TO

ENTER INTO GOD’S PEACE?

300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church Enter into God’s Peace

A great many people are trying to make peace. But that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all that we have to do is to enter into it.

DWIGHT L. MOODY*

THE STORY OF THE WOMAN WHO WANTED PEACE

THE STORY IS TOLD OF A WOMAN WHO WANTED PEACE IN THE WORLD AND PEACE

IN HER HEART AND ALL SORTS

OF GOOD THINGS, BUT SHE WAS VERY FRUSTRATED. THE WORLD SEEMED TO BE

FALLING APART. SHE WOULD

READ THE PAPERS AND GET DEPRESSED. ONE DAY SHE DECIDED TO GO SHOPPING,

AND SHE WENT INTO A MALL

AND PICKED A STORE AT RANDOM. SHE WALKED IN AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE

JESUS BEHIND THE COUNTER.

SHE KNEW IT WAS JESUS, BECAUSE HE LOOKED LIKE THE PICTURES SHE’D SEEN

ON HOLY CARDS AND

DEVOTIONAL PICTURES. SHE LOOKED AGAIN AND AGAIN AT HIM, AND FINALLY SHE

GOT UP THE NERVE AND

ASKED,

“EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU JESUS?” “I AM,” HE RESPONDED. “DO YOU WORK HERE?”

“NO,” JESUS SAID, “I OWN THE

STORE.” “OH, THE WOMAN SAID, “WHAT DO YOU SELL HERE?” “OH, JUST ABOUT

ANYTHING....ANYTHING? SHE

RESPONDED. YEAH, JESUS SAID, ANYTHING YOU WANT. WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

SHE SAID, I DON’T KNOW” WELL,

JESUS SAID, WALK UP AND DOWN THE AISLES, MAKE A LIST, SEE WHAT IT IS YOU

WANT AND THEN COME BACK AND

WE’LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU. SHE DID JUST THAT. AS SHE WALKED UP

AND DOWN THE AISLES THERE

WAS PEACE ON EARTH, NO MORE WAR, CLEAN AIR, NO MORE HUNGER OR POVERTY,

PEACE IN FAMILIES, NO MORE

DRUGS, HARMONY, AND CAREFUL USE OF RESOURCES. SHE WROTE OUT HER LIST

FURIOUSLY. BY THE TIME SHE

GOT BACK TO THE COUNTER SHE HAD A LONG LIST. JESUS LOOKED IT UP AND

DOWN, SKIMMED THROUGH IT,

LOOKED UP AT HER AND SMILED. “NO PROBLEM” HE SAID. AND THEN HE BENT

DOWN BEHIND THE COUNTER AND

PICKED OUT ALL SORTS OF THINGS, STOOD UP AND LAID OUT THE PACKETS. THE

WOMAN ASKED, “WHAT ARE

THESE?” JESUS REPLIED, “SEED PACKETS. THIS IS A CATALOG STORE.” SHE SAID,

“YOU MEAN I DON’T GET THE

FINISHED PRODUCT?” “NO, JESUS SAID, THIS IS A PLACE OF DREAMS. YOU COME

AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE,

AND I GIVE YOU THE SEEDS. YOU PLANT THE SEEDS. YOU GO HOME AND NURTURE

THEM AND HELP THEM TO

GROW AND SOMEONE ELSE REAPS THE BENEFITS.......” AND SO THE WOMAN LEFT

THE STORE WITHOUT BUYING

ANYTHING.

SO I WONDER, DID THE WOMAN COME INTO THE STORE MORE FRUSTRATED OR

LEAVE MORE FRUSTRATED TO

KNOW SHE COULD ONLY BUY SEEDS?

WITH ALL THE YEARS OF LIFE EXPERIENCE THAT FILLS THE PAGES OF THE 3rd

CHAPTER OF ECCLESIASTES THE

FRUSTRATION OF FAITHFUL LIVING WAS NAMED IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY........A TIME

FOR EVERY SEASON MEANS

THERE’S A TIME FOR WAR AND A TIME FOR PEACE......IT DOESN’T SAY WE HAVE TO

LIKE IT THAT WAY, OR THAT GOD

WILL CHANGE IT ALL WITH A MAGIC WAND OVERNIGHT........

PEACE, FOR HERE AND NOW OR PEACE FOR THE HEREAFTER? IS THAT REALLY THE

QUESTION FOR US TO LIVE

FAITHFULLY IN OUR YEARS ON EARTH?

PAUL ASSURES THE ROMANS THAT AS WE SERVE CHRIST JESUS, WE WILL FIND

PEACE......THE PEACE THAT COMES

WITH BEING ACCEPTABLE TO GOD........

PAUL ASSURES THE ROMANS THAT PART OF FINDING PEACE IS IN PURSUING IT.....

JUST LIKE THE WOMAN IN THE STORE, WE PURSUE THE SEEDS OF WHAT WE WANT

TO SEE, THINGS LIKE PEACE IN

OUR HEARTS, OUR HOMES AND IN THE WORLD......OUR TASK IS TO KEEP

AFTER IT.....AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT WHEN THOSE SEEDS GROW FULLY INTO

MATURITY......

KEEP DESIRING GOD & PURSUING PEACE

GOD IS STILL IN THE GUT CHECK BUSINESS BELOVEDS, SO HERE IS OUR TASK

SUMMED UP SO BEAUTIFULLY:

300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation Desire to See God, and You Will Live in Peace

Desire to see God; fear to lose Him; grieve to be so far from Him; rejoice to be brought near Him—thus you will live in profound peace.

TERESA OF ÁVILA*

ALLOW GOD’S JOY TO BE YOUR LIGHT IN THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, RECOGNIZE THAT

ALONG THE WAY GOD STILL

GIVES US GLIMPSES AND SNAPSHOTS OF PEACE, THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US THE GIFT

OF THEOLOGIANS AND

FAITHFUL ANCESTORS WHO LIVED THROUGH WARS, PLAGUES, CENTURIES OF

SLAVERY AND SERVITUDE, TIMES

BEFORE ALL THE CREATURE COMFORTS WE KNOW WERE EVER CREATED OR EVEN

THOUGHT OF.........

AND PLEASE KNOW, AS WE SHARE THE COMMUNION TABLE TODAY, THERE ARE STILL

MANY FOLKS WE NEED TO

KEEP HOLDING IN PRAYER, FOLKS WHO DO NOT YET KNOW WHAT WE KNOW AND

SHARE AND SEEK TO SPREAD

MORE WIDELY....IT IS WHAT WE BELIEVE WHEN CONFUSION SURROUNDS US, WHEN

FRUSTRATIONS SEEM TO FIND

US FEELING FRAIL.......WHEN THE ANSWER IS WAITING RATHER THAN RECEIVING........

You cannot have the peace of God until you know the God of peace.

1 Croft M. Pentz, The Complete Book of Zingers: Over 5,000 Perfect One-Liners (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc., 1990), 240.

CLOSING PRAYER: A CREED OF PEACE

I CLOSE TODAY WITH THE BEAUTIFUL PRAYER I’VE SHARED WITH CHURCH COUNCIL

BEFORE, FROM

PROGRESSIVECHRISTIANITY.ORG........IT’S CALLED “A CREED OF PEACE”

I believe in faiths of compassion

And I nurture benevolent hopes;

I treasure loves without borders

And value simple truths

I believe in the peace of One Peace;

Redeeming, unending, sublime

For my peace is always your peace

As your peace is always mine

Peace makes us One with each other

Where faiths, hopes and loves combine