the peace of Christ
What is the peace which the Lord is offering his disciples? What kind of peace is this peace of the Lord which the gospel is offering us today?
Peace does not mean an absence of hostility - it does not mean I have no enemies and I don’t make any enemies at all. Having the peace of the Lord does not mean I please everybody and am pleasing to everybody. This is not the kind of peace which Jesus is offering us, for we know that there will be times when our preference for Christ will make us enemies. Living in the peace of the Lord does not mean that I will be free from all the problems that perfunctory mark every stage of our lives and even our relationships. This is not the peace which Jesus is giving for we know that life brings with it its own troubles which Christ calls the cross - a cross we must bear bravely. What then is the peace that Jesus is offering his disciples?
This peace is peace at our center, a peace that comes from within. It comes from the faith that God loves us and will take care of us. This peace is a firm conviction that everything will be fine despite the hatred, the wars, the mistrust that goes on all around us, for we know that God is with us, he has triumphed and he will triumph amidst these emptiness and pain. The hostility of the world will never disturb this kind of peace. There may be problems, there may be crisis in our lives, our business may flop, but if I have the peace of the Lord, then I have this firm conviction that problems can be overcome, I have the conviction that God won’t leave me down there for good but with his help and with my strength I could rise again from where I fell. A child may have become a drug addict, my failures may make me in the eyes of people a bad parent, but if I have the peace of the Lord within me I have faith that everything will turn out for the good, that my mistakes can be forgiven, and are forgiven and can be corrected. A relationship may turn sour, friendships may falter, but if I have the peace of the Lord I will have the patience to wait for reconciliation and to work it out as best I could, for it could be worked out if I try, it could be worked out if only I am humble enough.
The peace which the Lord is offering us is found within - it is the peace that will make us steady in a world full of instability. It is the peace that will make us strong and graceful even under pressure. For this peace is an assurance, an assurance that God is on our side.
Peace does not mean an absence of hostility - it does not mean I have no enemies and I don’t make any enemies at all. Having the peace of the Lord does not mean I please everybody and am pleasing to everybody. This is not the kind of peace which Jesus is offering us, for we know that there will be times when our preference for Christ will make us enemies. Living in the peace of the Lord does not mean that I will be free from all the problems that perfunctory mark every stage of our lives and even our relationships. This is not the peace which Jesus is giving for we know that life brings with it its own troubles which Christ calls the cross - a cross we must bear bravely. What then is the peace that Jesus is offering his disciples?
This peace is peace at our center, a peace that comes from within. It comes from the faith that God loves us and will take care of us. This peace is a firm conviction that everything will be fine despite the hatred, the wars, the mistrust that goes on all around us, for we know that God is with us, he has triumphed and he will triumph amidst these emptiness and pain. The hostility of the world will never disturb this kind of peace. There may be problems, there may be crisis in our lives, our business may flop, but if I have the peace of the Lord, then I have this firm conviction that problems can be overcome, I have the conviction that God won’t leave me down there for good but with his help and with my strength I could rise again from where I fell. A child may have become a drug addict, my failures may make me in the eyes of people a bad parent, but if I have the peace of the Lord within me I have faith that everything will turn out for the good, that my mistakes can be forgiven, and are forgiven and can be corrected. A relationship may turn sour, friendships may falter, but if I have the peace of the Lord I will have the patience to wait for reconciliation and to work it out as best I could, for it could be worked out if I try, it could be worked out if only I am humble enough.
The peace which the Lord is offering us is found within - it is the peace that will make us steady in a world full of instability. It is the peace that will make us strong and graceful even under pressure. For this peace is an assurance, an assurance that God is on our side.
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