Voice of Peace

 

A precursor to

 

We quickly find ourselves two Sundays in as we enter December 5th.
It's time to focus on the subject of Peace. I can't hear the word without my brain first going here.

Peace like a river flows within me
Love like a waterfall pours on me
I'll never be alone, can't you see
Peace like a river flows on 

 

Hope is a fire burning in my soul
Life is eternal with you Lord
Who could ever ask for more
Peace like a river flows on 

 

On, thing of all I could have missed
Oh, I just can't get over this

 

Faith is a light shining down on me
Mercy is a wind blowing over me
The grace of God has set me free
Peace like a river flows on    - Third Day from the Album "Conspiracy #5" (1997)

Sometimes there is no better feeling than driving down the road with the radio cranked up listening to some Third Day. That song is a favorite that deserves to be played and replayed. I hope I'm 80 and still able to handle the volume at 30 as I'm trucking down the road listening to that. Sometimes there is nothing better than a good song to bring some much needed peace to my life. 

What is peace and why is it so important? It is something we crave and desire for ourselves, but at what cost do we pursue peace? What would you give to be able to say you have peace in your heart?

Marion Bond West Was a contributor to Guideposts magazine for an article in the section about People Helping People. She recalls the events of a hot August day when she met a homeless veteran and his dog named Cheeseburger. 

Have you ever felt as if you weren't as close to God as you should be or wanted to be? Marion West shares that his is how she felt on the day she recounted these events. Sometimes we can't find peace because of the situations we find other people in. It was 100 degrees in the sun on that sweltering day in August. Heading home after running some errands, he came across a dog laying on large green duffel bag on the sidewalk outside of an Applebee's restaurant. The homeless epidemic being what it is in our country, its easy to feel overwhelmed with a sense "what do I do and how do I help" when we are confronted with such a problem. Meeting the dog's owner revealed that they were homeless and, in fact, living in the woods in a tent just outside of town. Marion wanted to make sure the dog had water and food, but she couldn't get the dog to respond with her own efforts. After speaking with the owner, he simply helped her to be "introduced" to the dog. This baffled Marion as she was a dog lover and dog usually like her. But, the owner, a man named Johnny, brought her over to the dog and gave a proper introduction. The dog name was Cheeseburger, who offered paw and wagged his tail excitedly as the names were exchanged and Johnny helped her meet his dog. 

Introductions can be a simple means of excruciating uncomfortable-ness or it can be a stress reliever (once we get past the awkward beginning). Imagine being in the shoes of a young Jewish girl who suddenly finds herself in the presence of an angel. She is just minding her own business and then a holy messenger shows up telling her that she will be pregnant and have a child. What in the world do you do with that? If someone came busting in my front door and I'm just sitting in the recliner in my living room, I pretty sure I would be instantly frozen with fear. What do I do? What do they want? How do I handle this? The notion of peace is not immediately front and center when a traumatic situation arises or confrontation is imminent. the subject of Joy will find its way into our message next week. I've been baffled by the world of James, the biological brother of Jesus, in the opening words of his letter he states... 

I don't know, but Joy is not my first inclination when having to deal with hard times and trials. James says he wants his readers to be "complete, not lacking anything". Peace would certainly be a part of the mix there. However, peace seems to be something we have to find or be in search of. Last week we looked at the word hope. I didn't go into much details about the transitive nature of certain words. Hope had that transitive sense to it. If something is true between parties 1 and 2, and the same thing is true between parties 2 and 3, then it stands to reason the same thing is true for parties 1 and 3 even though they aren't touching or in direct contact with each other. Hope works like that. Hope seems to be something we can share or transfer to one another. I can give someone else a sense of hope. We can share that sense of hope. But, if we are reading our dictionaries properly, we see that peace is used as an intransitive verb. 

I can't give peace to someone else. It is something I have to find for myself. Jesus seems to be the only one who can bestow peace to someone else. "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." If you have invited Jesus into your heart and life, then you know how that peace feels inside. I can remember when Jesus came in. I know what it felt like to go to work that night. A smile on my face. Some joy in my step. It's hard to understand. Jesus would say, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it is coming from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

When peace comes to us in such a nonsensical way, it is also just as perplexing when our peace is stolen from us. This past week I was driving back to Thornville out on St Rt 13. As I traveled north, I passed a truck headed south. Just as we met, the driver tossed a yellow cat out the window. I had no time to stop or hit the brakes. The poor cat landed on its feet but I was unable to avoid hitting it. It is a few days past and I'm still shaken at the thought. I was just going along, minding my business and suddenly... This crazy world we live in likes to rob us of our peace, our joy, our hope. Maybe you woke up this morning feeling fine and headed into your day and something just derailed your heart. A silly fight with your spouse before you headed to work. An unexpected phone call bringing bad news. A conversation with a person you didn't see on your radar. As much as we would like to be in control of all the nonsensical things in our world, we quickly find out we are not. We would like something concrete we can hang on to in the moment. When we find that there is nothing in this world that meets the requirements, we can only go to the One who can give peace. It is in Jesus we find our peace. He is our Hope. He fills us with his Joy. Jesus put himself in the Father's hands and let Him lead the way. Jesus taught us by example what it meant to live in peace with the Father's decisions. Jesus has no idea when he will return. It is all in the Father's hands. When God says it's time, then Jesus will come back. We trust. We hope. We look heavenward waiting for him to come take us to where he is. 

I'm reminded of words from a favorite song as I close. 

This is not the land was promised me,
Even as far as my eyes can see,
I'm so wound up I can't even breathe,
I don't want words,
I just want some peace-   Caedmon's Call, from the self titled album (1995)