PEACE -- INSIDE AND OUT
Rev. Dr. Dennis Winkleblack
Prospect United Methodist Church
Bristol, Connecticut
Isaiah 9: 6-7
II Corinthians 5: 16-21
John 14: 25-27
It is well with my soul… That's peace, isn't it? Or, as we sang earlier, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me; let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be." That, of course, is peace, too, isn't it?
Today we continue a series of sermons on the fruit of the spirit – those hallmarks, those characteristics, those descriptions of a person who live according to God’s ways, in harmony with God. In the previous two weeks we’ve talked about love and joy. Today, the fruit is peace.
The word "peace," like love, is one of those words that mean different things to different people. For some, peace means the absence of conflict. For others peace means not to have a worry in the world. Even in its explicitly Christian context, it’s frequently misunderstood. For example, remember the 70’s and the Vietnam war protests? Protesters were called peaceniks. It was not a complimentary term. So, when we say "peace," we can’t assume everyone knows what we mean.
The oldest word for peace in the Bible is "shalom." Shalom is used to describe a state of well-being that is consummate. Shalom means everything is in harmony. Everything is in right relationships in every area – with God, with neighbor, and with the earth. It means health for all, food for all, safety for all, justice for all, love for all. The picture of heaven on earth in the Old Testament is that of Shalom.
The New Testament word in Greek is Eirene (I ray’ nay). Eirene means everything shalom means, but also emphasizes something not always understood by shalom: inner peace, peace of mind or soul peace.
Our culture offers many kinds peace imitations. In fact, most of the commercials on television, in the last analysis, promise inner peace as much as anything else. Buy the right car and you’ll not only have status, you’ll feel good about yourself – you’ll have peace and joy, for that matter.
Then, there are all the medical procedures that promise to make you feel better about yourself – give you inner security and peace. Botox is the latest. It’s a deadly poison. But inject a little under the skin and –poof! – away go your wrinkles. I understand in some places you can’t get an appointment with a dermatologist for an ordinary thing like psoriasis because they’re all booked up giving botox injections! Our culture tends to believe that if one were better looking one would have more peace within. But it’s a lie.
Of course, we’ve long used drugs including alcohol and nicotine to bring peace, or at least a sense of peace. And, for many of us, before we have our caffeine in the morning, we’re not terribly peaceful people to be around.
In sum, there are many ways to achieve a kind of peace without being in the least bit religious, let alone Christian. But, like our discussion of joy last week, external means of achieving inner peace tend to be only as good as today’s drug or today’s activity or today’s good luck. Take the outside source away, and bam! There goes the peace!
Jesus’ peace is different. Jesus’ peace is known as a calm assurance that everything is going to be all right even if it’s not all right now. You just know. There’s a confidence, a trust that God will take what is and work to bring good out of it, and such confidence, trust yields an inner calm. You’re in harmony with God, with others and with self. If you’ll come to the book study of “The Shack” tomorrow, you’ll hear more discussion about peace even in the worst circumstances.
In every generation there are one or more popular pastors and preachers who are known for preaching peace of mind. Some call it positive thinking. Some call it possibility thinking. They are good people. However, such media stars go so overboard on preaching and teaching about inner peace within that they risk making their hearers more self-absorbed than ever. For, fact is, Christianity is not about pursuing peace of mind for its own sake. In fact, to try to do so inevitably leads to spiritual disaster. As the late Dr. Thomas Langford of Duke put it, "To experience peace is to share peace; peace must issue into peacemaking."
This, of course, is what Jesus emphasized from the beginning of his ministry when he proclaimed, "Blessed are the peacemakers."
The peace that Jesus offers isn’t the kind that can be had by merely trying to get it. It’s not the kind of peace that comes from hearing 10 sermons on techniques for gaining inner calm. Or holding good thoughts, or meditating on peaceful scenes or believing the correct doctrines of the church.
Rather, Jesus’ inner peace is attained only as we make peace, share peace with others. To follow Christ, to live in the Spirit of Christ means we are not only offered the blessing of being at peace through Christ -- we are called to BE peace! No being peacemakers – no real peace within.
So, what might it mean for us to be peacemakers? Three brief thoughts.
First, to be a peacemaker is to have a clear vision of what peace looks like.
We have wonderful biblical images of shalom, of lions lying down with lambs; even of land well-cared for that produces in abundance so that none are in want. And of course the new Jerusalem – the city of God. Also in the Bible, we have timeless stories of reconciliation between people – think Paul and the Christians he once persecuted. Or between family members – think the prodigal son.
These seem to some to be ideals – to be idealistic pictures that reality can never approach. Well, maybe and maybe not. Did you ever think you’d see the fall of the Berlin wall? Or the continuing democratization of Russia or China or Iraq or Iran?
Indeed, to be a peace-maker we need to be quite the idealists. We need to have in mind what perfect peace looks like not only inside ourselves, but between us and our family members, our co-workers, our neighbors, and between nations.
One of the greatest failures of the governments of the world is that visions of peace are limited to bigger, more powerful armies holding lesser armies at bay with threats of violence. And that’s about the limit of our vision for worldwide peace!
We need ideals. We can’t fear being called wide-eyed idealists by the so-called realists and cynics. The Bible, after all, is a book of ideals and our faith is a faith of ideals. We may never fully attain the ideal, but we are the sorrier for never having tried. So we need to have a vision of what peace looks like.
Second, we need to be aware of ways we, you and I, block peace. In other words, what is it about me and in what circumstances am I a roadblock to peace?
Personally, when I’m tired and stressed, I get incredibly argumentative. Most of you won’t see this side of me, but Jeanne does. When I’m tired and stressed, I can argue the heck out of something that later I realize makes no sense whatsoever.
Maybe you can think of some way you impede peace in your family. Or, if you’re working, how about in your workplace? Or maybe in one of the organizations you belong to? Even the church?
It’s important that we know our own biases. It’s important that we know our own habits that do not make for peace so that we can overcome them, work around them. This is also a necessary part of being a peacemaker.
Finally, peacemaking is not a passive activity. Instead, peace must be waged. I really think Jesus expects his followers to have an agenda for peace, not just an agenda for staying out of trouble.
What might that mean? We can take our cue from Paul’s wonderful statement about reconciliation in II Corinthians where he writes that God has reconciled us to himself.
Paul goes on to say that God has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. And by “message” Paul doesn’t mean words only, but a way of life. Our life, you see, is our message. We’re called to live reconciliation, to be bridge-builders.
Can you do that? Sure. And where?
Well, wherever God has planted you. God has peacemaking work for us to do right where we find ourselves day in and day out. In sum, God’s people, you and I, need to worry not just about staying out of trouble, but actively plot how we can be peacemakers, bridges for reconciliation and peace wherever God is calling us so to serve.
Peace. Shalom. Eirene. Inner peace. Peace in the world. That’s the promise and challenge from the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. And, as with joy which can’t be had except as a by-product of genuine loving, so too this fruit of the spirit.
Inner peace will always elude us unless we understand one of our main reasons for being on earth is to be part of bringing peace to others. But, then, while we’re about being peacemakers, we’ll find that we have invited God’s peace into our lives in the process. Paul called it the peace which passes all understanding.
In closing, think about the following questions:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how peaceful do I usually feel inside?
2. Would those who know me best consider me a peacemaker?
3. Where might I now be called to wage peace, to be a peacemaker?
"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace."
May it be so. Amen.