Easter 6 C, May 16, 2004
Text: John 14:23-29 The Peace Christ Brings Let us pray: Dear Lord Christ, thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit! Thank You for not leaving us to fend for ourselves, but sending us the heavenly Counselor, the Comforter of our souls. And thank You for having Him transfer to us personally the peace that You won for us on the cross. With the peace only you can give, may we find the everlasting rest and joy our hearts desire. Amen. Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from the Holy Spirit your Comforter!Fellow Redeemed Sinners: Do you know what MAD stands for? And no, I’m not talking about someone getting angry with another person! MAD used to stand for “Mutually Assured Destruction.” It was coined during the height of the Cold War between America and the old Soviet Union. Both
countries had enough nuclear firepower to destroy each other. The thought was that such deadly power would check-mate each country’s will to use that firepower. And so, “peace” was achieved from the 1950’s to the early 1990’s through MAD.
Of course, such a peace was no real peace. While it may have prevented a nuclear holocaust, open warfare did occur in Korea, Vietnam,
Afghanistan, and many other countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Was
the world at “peace” during those times? While bombs were not raining upon our cities and homes, this was hardly the case elsewhere. Human peace is a dream, an impossible dream. War stems from fear and insecurity mixed with a lust for control and power. It is the result of hearts that are sin-sick and out of touch with God. Unless human hearts are cured of sin there will be no peace. Worldly Peace vs. Jesus’ Peace As I looked over our Gospel text, one line leaped out at me. It is where Christ says: “Peace… I do not give to you as the world gives.” That little line says it all. Just think about worldly peace. Everyone wants it. Countless people pray for it. Our political leaders spend huge amounts of money trying to achieve it. And yet, the world is filled with more violence and hate. WWI was going to be the war that ended all wars. And then came WWII. WWII was to forge a lasting peace in the world. But then came the Cold War. Now we’re in a war on terror. And should the war on terror be won, what do you think will happen? I think you know the answer. Surely another enemy of peace will arise. As Scripture warns, people say: “Peace, peace, but there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11).
So, too, in our own lives. Road rage lives on. Anger management classes are in vogue—some businesses even pay to send you to them. Domestic violence is a huge problem. The divorce rate speaks volumes as to the lack of peace within marriages. Bullies still exist on the playgrounds of our schools. And children seem to be resorting to ever more violent ways to slave their problems. Worldly peace is based on keeping the veneer of respectability. Peace among people is often based on the threat of lawsuits. People peace can be withdrawn in an instant—if we don’t get our way. So, isn’t it nice to know that when it comes to peace, Christ, Who cannot lie, promises: “Peace… I do not give to you as the world gives.” Today you have come to church because you desire real peace, peace that is lasting, peace in which the rug won’t be pulled out from under you. And today God directs such peace at each of us. In our Gospel text Jesus tells us not only about that peace the world cannot give us, He actually gives it to us. So let us then find out what that peace is like and secondly, how we may experience it. What is peace? To have true peace means knowing that the heavenly Father loves you. Jesus tells us we have peace when the heavenly Father has made His home with us (John 14:24). Then God’s kingdom has come to you
and you have peace. This peace is from knowing that you have been reconciled with God, saved through Christ from judgment for your sin. It means that you have been made whole and purified from all sin so that you may live in peace with God. It means having a heavenly Father who looks out for you, who will ensure that everything will be alright in the end. It means being secure and confident in the future. God Himself promises it to you! If that is true why is there still so much lack of peace in our lives? 1. We often don’t recognize the peace God has given us. 2. The experience of true peace is not the absence of struggle or conflict but the result of the presence of love. God is love. If God lives in you and you in Him then you will know His love and have peace. When you have peace with God you also have a starting point for loving those around you. Then you will see God extending His kingdom of love and peace in the hearts and lives of those around you. True peace can never be brought about or enforced by physical force. Such peace will always fail in the long run. So what is the way to peace? True peace comes only through true love. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:23).
And Jesus taught us to love by loving us: He suffered for our sins and He gave up His life that we might share in fellowship with our heavenly Father. Jesus demonstrated God’s love to us. As the objects of God’s amazing love we are privileged to reflect that same love to each other. Situations of conflict, suffering, even death become excellent opportunities for love to demonstrate and prove itself true. Consider, for example, your sense of peace. If your sense of peace cannot sustain you through your struggles, then what worth is it? It cannot be a true peace. The same goes for love. If your love is limited and not freely given then you have not yet experienced true love. You do not really know your True Lover, your Lord Jesus. To be honest, we have all fallen short in our love. We fail to love God whole-heartedly and we do not love others as we love ourselves. Our love is tainted. We can only find pure love when we look to our Lord, Jesus. He is the source of love. He is like the sun radiating light into our solar system. We are like the planets that reflect it’s light. Only as we orient ourselves towards Jesus, the Son of God, do we experience the warmth of the light of His love and have the ability to shine His love into the dark places of our world. In His love we find peace. Jesus is the only source of true love and peace. Now, when the Dalai Lama was in Toronto a couple of weeks ago he spoke about peace. All
people refer to him as a man of peace and Buddhism as the religion of peace. How, then does the peace of Buddha compare with that of Jesus? The peace Buddhism offers us is one that comes from excelling in meditation techniques. While meditation can be very helpful in achieving a sense of calm, it is a peace that has its origin with man. It is like trying to understand “light” by studying the moon that reflects the light rather than studying the sun, the source of light. True peace cannot begin with us. It is God’s gift to us. So, how do we orient ourselves toward Christ so we may find the way to peace? Listen again to our text where Christ tells His disciples: “All this I have spoken while still with you. 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.” We who have been baptized into Christ have received this divine Counselor. The Counselor the disciples received on the day of Pentecost, the event we will celebrate in a couple of weeks, reminded them of everything Jesus had said and taught them everything they needed to know. Because of that, we are privileged to have in the Holy Scriptures a complete and perfect testimony of God’s love for us. And as we commit ourselves to the word of God we are promised the same divine Counselor who helps us come to a true understanding of God’s love and to experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. “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.” Here our Savior promises that we will be under the influence of His peace. “Peace I leave with you.” This was Christ’s will, His testament, His living legacy of love to us. His soul He committed to His Father on the cross. His body He bequeathed to Joseph, who put it in his tomb. His clothes fell to the soldiers. His mother he left to the care of John. But what should He leave His disciples? He had no silver or gold. But He left them something infinitely better—His peace. For when you’re at peace with God you have the courage and strength to admit your own failings and to bear with those of others. You are equipped to be a peacemaker. Yes, He gave us His love, His compassion, His sense of perspective, His peace. All this is ours because the Spirit has worked faith, confidence, and trust in our hearts. All peace is based on faith. And because that faith is God’s gift, the peace it brings will not and cannot fail. Worldly peace vs. Jesus’ peace, which would you rather have? Which is more lasting? Which is more valuable? Well, you know the answer. In fact, that’s really why you’ve come today—to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the peace that He brings! So, go forth this week in
confidence and joy knowing that you’re at peace with God. Amen.