Peace sermon 2
John 14:25-31
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
For the first week of advent we heard about hope—that Jesus is our living hope—even in the midst of hopelessness, even when the light of peace, joy and love are extinguished, the hope of Christ enters into the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Last week I admitted to you that I struggled with the meaning of hope. Well, to be honest, I struggled with peace!
So I turned back to my trusty power ball lottery ticket! I hoped against hope! Peace would be winning the $74 million jackpot!
How many of you believe I won the jackpot?
OK, how many of you believed I won something?
Well guess what—I didn’t match a single number! Not one. Obviously, my hope was unfounded—it was a dream—unreal, imaginary; it was wishful thinking.
So instead I have decided to run for president of the United States: Remember, my odds of being elected were far better—1 in 10,000,000!
But let me ask you this—if I had won, if my hope had come true, would I have experienced peace?
I mean, $74 million is a lot of money! On one hand, I could pay off all those student loans—that would bring me peace, wouldn’t it? On the other hand, how many of you have ever heard of someone winning the lottery who lived happily ever after? My life could be ruined if I win the lottery—not to mention that it would almost completely ruin my sermon from last week!
Pastor Dale suggested that I drop it in the offering plate? But would it bring peace to Lord of Grace if we were known as the church that won $74 million instead of the church of Jesus Christ?
Would winning $74 million bring comfort? Would it bring an end to conflict, troubles or problems? Would it bring quietness and serenity to my life—or to yours? Would it make approving the church budget easier?
Unfortunately, no. But therein lies the problem: the world defines peace by outward appearances—by the absence of conflict rather than the presence of God.
In the midst of this Christmas season we hear Jesus say to us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” They are confusing words. We live in a world filled with violence and war. There is no peace in our time.
So why did Jesus offer the disciples peace? Jesus is about to be betrayed, abandoned, arrested, beaten, tortured and murdered. Do you think the disciples might need peace?
But he offers them a different kind of peace than one would expect. Because Jesus is still betrayed, abandoned, arrested, beaten, tortured and murdered. He doesn’t change the outward circumstances of what will happen to him—or to them.
Now here is a challenging question: Did Jesus experience peace? By outward circumstances, no. Jesus was surrounded by crowds pressing in on him and demanding that he do something for them—heal the sick, give sight to the blind, restore the hearing to the deaf and raise the dead. He was also hated and despised. People sought to kill him! Yet….we see a man who steadfastly refused to defend himself, who allowed himself to be flogged and crucified. And in the end cries out, “Forgive them father, for they know not what they do.” Then he gave up his spirit. He rested in the assurance of God’s presence. He was at peace.
Ah—but he is the Son of God! Right you are. Since this is the Christmas season, how about Mary? Did she experience peace? Mary is a young teenager, pregnant with the Son of God! And the angel tells her “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.” Don’t be afraid? Favor of God? Let’s be clear—Mary was not in for an easy time of it—Pastor Chris talked on Sunday about the travails of child birth! Mary was engaged to Joseph. Joseph’s not the dad. What was she facing when they find out she is pregnant? Threat of death by stoning. Abandonment. Ostracism. And of course at 9 months pregnant she took a 100 mile trek on a donkey! How many of you ladies would like to try that? Yet she rested in the assurance of God’s presence. She was at peace.
And how about Joseph? Did he experience peace? Here is a man who finds out that his wife is pregnant! Think that might have thrown him for a loop? But like Mary, the angel tells Joseph, “Do not be afraid.” He too faces ostracism. The snide remarks. The snickers. Did you hear that Mary claims God is the father of her child? Poor Joseph! And come on guys, would you really have wanted to take your wife when she was 9 months pregnant on a 100 mile donkey ride?! Yet he, too, rested in the assurance of God’s presence. He was at peace.
The peace that God gives is not dependent on outward circumstances. The world enjoys peace when there is an absence of trouble; as Christians we enjoy peace in spite of troubles because we are assured of the presence of God in the midst of our troubles.
Movie: The Guardian. (Coast Guard rescue swimmer)
Story about Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) and Jake Fischer (Aston Kutcher) Jake goes into the local bar owned by Maggie McGlone. Story about holding on.... Near the end of the movie, Ben decides to retire. jake asks him what his numer is, that is, how many people had he saved. Ben Randall responds: "It's 22." Surprised, Jake Fischer responds, "Well that's not... bad... It's not 200 but..." To which Ben responds, "22 is the number of people that I've lost. It's the only number that I've kept track of."
God is the SOURCE of peace.
Jesus is the GIVER of peace.
His peace was not in the absence of difficulties, but in the PRESENCE of God.
Your peace lies in the confidence, the assurance that He is there with you always. He is grabbing hold of you and will never let go….
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Amen.