On Peace
““Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (words of Jesus to disciples)”
Peace is multi-layered and multi-faceted and its pursuit has been problematic and pervasive since humans began interacting. For today, I would like to point to four: peace among nations and around the globe – world peace; peace in neighborhoods, cities and countries – national peace; peace in families and between individuals – relational peace; and peace within the self – inner peace.
And the peace of God?
God’s peace includes vastly more than those four aspects and encompasses more than we can ever comprehend. We long for peace, yet peace is a mystery and a reality that is always unfolding.
One of the great preachers of recent years was Fred Craddock and here is what he had to say about the peace of God,
"The peace of God is the confidence that God is God and neither our gains nor our losses are ultimate. It is the truth that God loves the world, is for all creatures, and is present with us in every endeavor to make real that love in concrete ways. Hassles as we go through life neither prove nor disprove God's presence and therefore neither create nor void the peace of God."
Jesus lived out that peace in all his encounters – bringing healing to those who knew brokenness, truth to those who needed to hear it, justice to unjust situations, compassion to those who were suffering and peace to those who were in turmoil. Jesus withdrew for inner renewal (and inner peace), but it was always to propel himself back into the engagement of life with all those around him – his disciples, his enemies (both religious and political) and his brothers and sisters of all backgrounds and circumstances that crossed his path.
There is so much conflict, alienation and violence in our world. That was certainly the case in Jesus’ day. Jesus prayed for peace and he worked for peace from God’s perspective. Praying for peace is important and for me it means asking God to help me grow in all aspects of peace (as best I can) to be sent out into the world as an agent of reconciliation, joy, justice, light and love. And my prayer is also that you, too, may know more of peace and live as a minister of God’s peace today and in the coming days!
Shalom,
Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister
This article appeared in the Wave on May 19, 2021