Peace

Christmas is Chaos

Have you been to the mall in Fredricton Lately? Dustin and I went yesterday looking for gifts for our wives. Let’s just say it was less than quiet. The first challenge when you get to Fredericton during this busy season is first of all trying to get to the mall on the crazy streets. Now it used to be you didn’t have much option and during your trip to Freddy you would have to use the Regent/Prospect intersection. This was always backed up and a nightmare. But thankfully the city created this roundabout or rotary whichever you prefer to help alleviate some of the traffic congestion and it worked, although maybe a little too well. The only thing worse than a backed up intersection is a sitting behind a car at the roundabout who clearly doesn’t know how a roundabout is supposed to work.

But I digress. You get to the mall now you get to play stalk that person to their car so we can steal their spot and hope they aren’t just dropping off one load and going back in. Sometimes you can spend almost as much time looking for a parking spot as you do looking for the perfect present. Which FYI doesn’t exist. Even if it did they would be out of stock.

Inside the mall you have a cavalcade of bumps and sorry’s and excuse me’s. At least in Freddy, people are still pretty polite for the most part. Except that one person who always seems to be shopping in the same place as you all the time. Finally I look at him and say hey are you shopping for my wife to.

No I didn’t, what do you think I’m a crazy person. But honestly this season can get pretty chaotic. Then Christmas Morning comes. I have five kids under 10, do you think they understand ok everyone we are going to take turns. NOOOO! It is absolute Chaos.

Tonight we are continuing to talk about those stocking stuffer gifts. If you missed this morning you are really confused right now. This morning we learned that Jesus is our big Christmas gift, but God also gave us a bunch of smaller, but still pretty awesome gifts as well. We are calling them the stocking stuffer.

This morning we looked at hope. But tonight we are looking at another S.S. called peace.

Let me first asking the question for tonight.

What does peace look like?

That is the question I want to answer tonight, because tonight I hope to clear up a big misconception about peace.

See most people believe peace is the opposite of chaos. Honestly that is not entirely a bad definition, however I believe this understanding falls short.

Let me explain by reading a passage that I believe illustrates what true peace looks like

Mark 4:35–41 NLT

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

What does peace look like?

Peace is not the opposite of Chaos

Peace is being calm in spite of Chaos

Me: If I asked you, what is the opposite of light, you would say… Dark. Ok so far so good. Can light and dark exist at the same time? Well it’s light in here and dark out there. But did you notice that wherever light is present darkness is absent? Even where it is dark the smallest light removes darkness, doesn’t it. In fact the darker the area the less light it takes to dispel the darkness. Now some might argue that even in a lite room there are shadows showing light and dark coexist, but I would respond, not as dark as it would be if there were no light, so clearly the light has replaced the darkness. I guess all I am trying to say is with opposites they interfere with each other. One in the presence of the other cannot help but be effected by the other. In some way.

We: But is this how peace works. Is it true we can only be at peace when there is no chaos? If this is the case, how could we ever have peace, for in this life there will always be… Chaos.

God: In this passage the disciples find themselves in the worst storm ever. They are surrounded by chaos and they are freaking out so they wake Jesus up, and he rebukes them for their lake of faith, and then rebukes the wind and the wave and finally the chaos stops and the disciples are at peace right? Well on a quick read one might make that argument, which would support the idea of peace and chaos being opposites, except for the fact that they had to wake Jesus up.

I love this passage because Jesus shows us in this passage we don’t need chaos to be removed to be at peace. Clearly Jesus was at peace in the stern of the boat (i.e the back) even in the midst of the chaos. And When He woke up He wasn’t upset with the storm He was disappointed in His disciples who hadn’t learned the secret to being calm amidst the chaos yet. So He calmed the storm in order to calm their hearts, but even after he calmed the storm, they still weren’t at peace because now they were freaking out because Jesus just spoke to a storm and it listened.

You: Ok so what does all this mean? What I want you to get from this is that you don’t need God to remove the chaos around you in order for you to have peace. They are not like opposites where one replaces the other. You can have peace even in the midst of a storm.

We: How? good question. If we look back at the passage Jesus asks them where their faith is. The implication being Faith in God would have allowed them to remain calm without the storm being stilled. If we want to live in peace we need to have faith in God.

Next Step: Faith in God is where true peace comes from. not from the removal of chaos.