Peace In a Time Such as This ~ Philippians 4:4-7 ~ Third Sunday of Advent

Earlier this week, walking through town, I noticed the sign on the United Methodist Church down the street, which read: All I Want for Christmas is Peace.

All week, I thought about all the people I’d spoken to whom I know want peace more than anything...  All the people who are ill, who are stressed, who are brokenhearted, who are filled with fear at what tomorrow may bring...

And then, in just one week, we’ve heard news of two massacres, the one at a mall in Oregon, the other at a school in Connecticut...  Precious lives are lost; families are ripped apart; and a nation trembles in horror.

How can we ever attain this “peace that surpasses understanding” that Paul speaks of in our second lesson for today?  How can we rejoice in the Lord in a time such as this?

As we hear Paul’s words, we must first bear in mind that Paul writes these words from within prison walls.  With every day he faced the possibility that he wouldn’t make it out alive.  

That is precisely why the peace he speaks of today is one that is not dependent upon circumstances; upon prosperity or upon the lack of hardship.  This is a peace that comes from Jesus Christ and him alone.  That is what makes this a peace that surpasses understanding—because peace is a miracle that Jesus creates in our lives through faith. 

So if peace is something you lack, you do not have to go very far to get it.  You have only to turn to Jesus.  That is where peace begins—in your relationship with him. 

When you were baptized, you were reborn into Christ.  This means that your life is firmly planted in him.  You are in Christ; in him you live and have your being.  This was not by your choice or by your own effort.  God does this FOR YOU and even IN SPITE OF YOU.  You are a child of God—and nothing will change that.

Peace begins in our relationship with Jesus—and prayer is our acceptance of this gift of relationship.  And prayer is far and away more than just asking.  Prayer is connecting with Jesus and knowing him so that we can become aware of the ways that he is already here and blessing us.  For peace, we are totally dependent upon Jesus—and he is not about to let us down; for to see peace is to see Jesus.

And since our lives are rooted in Christ, we are in a position to do more than just receive peace.  We are empowered to create it.

In our Gospel for today, John the Baptist is preaching before an audience of what we could consider as the misfits of his day; the tax collectors, the soldiers...  They, too, long for the peace of new life that comes only from God—and they ask him, “what should we do?”  Notice how John does not make drastic, life-altering demands and lofty requirements that none could ever meet.  He simply says, “whoever has two coats must share with the one who has none; the tax collectors must collect only the prescribed amount; the soldiers must not extort money but be satisfied with their wages.”  In other words, the opportunities to be peace-creators existed in their daily lives.  They didn’t need to do anything heroic to achieve it, but simply to recognize that their lives were sanctuaries for which they could join their neighbors in entering into the peace of God.

It’s the very same for us.  Opportunities abound in our lives to CREATE peace.  We are disciples who are being sent out into our everyday lives, seizing opportunities to let our gentleness be known to everyone; and to proclaim the love of Jesus in our words and especially our good deeds. 

In Christ, we receive peace—and we create peace.

We all hunger for the peace that passes understanding, especially this time of year.  So today, remember that your peace is found in Christ and Christ alone.  Don’t run yourself ragged trying to keep all the plates spinning.  You’ll never succeed.  Instead, remember that Christ is in you and you are in him.  Focus yourself on receiving every gift he gives you that will nourish your faith and knowledge of him.  Focus on your “rootedness” in Christ—and his peace will guard your heart and mind in everything else you have to do.  Your schools, your workplaces, your homes, your communities will all become sanctuaries to meet Jesus in your everyday life. 

So challenge yourself not only to seize every opportunity to receive his peace; seize every opportunity to create peace.  Leave behind your comfort zone and show your neighbor into the sanctuary of Christ’s peace with your loving words and especially your good deeds.  Your hunger for peace will be satisfied. 

Sometimes, it’ll be a peace that overwhelms your fears; sometimes that peace may be but the string of faith through which God guides you through the worst of times.  But you will have peace—because your human being is in the living Christ.