Sunday, I shared the seven promises of God. You will likely find more promises with an in-depth study of the Bible however, seven was a good number to begin with. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there is ample evidence that God has promised us much in this life. The seven promises that were shared Sunday are:
to always be with us
to always love us
to protect us
to be our strength
to answer us
to provide for us
to give us peace
If you were listening closely and counting you will have noticed that while I named each promise I only spoke in detail about the first six. It’s not that I forgot to talk about the promise of peace nor was I uninspired to share words about the promise of peace. Truth is, there is so much to say about peace. Beginning with the feeling of the absence of peace, how we create and maintain peace, and how we share peace would be enough for an entire day filled with conversation. Truth is, for full disclosure, I consciously chose not to speak about peace. I didn’t have the heart to shortchange this precious promise of peace given to us by our God. I didn’t have the heart to quote a few selections of the many scriptures that speak about peace and merely leave it at that.
Given the nature of the time we are living, there seems to be far too much to say about peace to be flippant about this promise. God promised us peace yet our country is ripe with discontent. Families and friends now feel deeply divided by conflict and viewpoints that have been allowed to separate them. Living with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic leaves many who are unemployed or underemployed feeling anything but peaceful. With the causality toll of over two million worldwide and nearly four hundred thousand lives lost to this virus in the United States, peace may not be the first feeling identified by people today.
When I turn to John 14:27, I read:
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.
As I take these words to heart, I realize that we may often find a sense of tranquility as we sit by the sea shore or walk through the woods enjoying the many gifts of nature. We may find a calmness when we pause for prayer or meditation. We may even live a life that is free of stress and strife. Each of these would qualify as peace by many standards yet, life has shown me time and time again that these are temporal. These are the worldly signs of peace and as sure as the sun rises and sets each day, they come and go as life marches on. The storms of life may come swiftly and unpredictably. We may come to a time that our prayers feel empty. Struggle and strife may show up in our lives unannounced.
There is another kind of peace. It is the peace that passes understanding. The peace that is founded on living steadfast to our spiritual practices and the teachings of Jesus. This is the peace that falls over us and is securely anchored in the foundation of our faith. It is a peace that remains unchanged when the storms of life are raging.
This is the peace that comes with trusting the fulfillment of each of the other promises of God. This is the peace that moves in us even in the moments we don’t understand the how’s and why’s of life. This is the peace that comes as we transform our hearts from holding the judgment of others to seeing the divinity in all humanity. This is the peace that comes when chaos seems to reign in any moment yet, I remain steadfast in believing that all things are working out for good. In time, I will see the good so long as I keep looking and believing good is present.
We continue our lives with every effort to live peaceably with all humanity. We raise our sights to live in harmony with mother earth and with a deep respect for all lifeforms. When we hear the gentle knock on the door of our heart, we recognize it as peace. Peace stands at the threshold of our heart patiently awaiting our invitation to enter. Only when we welcome God’s deep abiding peace into our lives will we live at peace in our world. In these days ahead, let us welcome the promise of peace into or hearts and into the lives of all beings. Let us create a space that is fertile for God’s promise of peace to be nurtured and grow within us and through us.
Let there be peace on earth, I know it begins in me.
Many blessings, much love,
Rev. Karen