“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27
I just need a few moments of peace!!
I want you to close your eyes for just a few seconds. Think about the word peace. What do you visualize?
There are a huge variety of scenes that would probably come to mind, depending on who you are. Some probably picture a serene forest where you can perhaps hear a peaceful babbling brook, birds chirping, and the gentle breeze moving through tree branches. Maybe you visualized something similar. Maybe you visualized an uninterrupted hour for your favorite hobby, like knitting, crocheting, reading, fishing, or hunting silently, without interruptions. Perhaps a quiet evening alone or a quiet dinner with your spouse entered your mind.
Regardless of what you pictured, every once in a while, we all need a moment of peace. I can only hope that church would be something that you would consider peaceful as well. Beautiful music while singing to our God is certainly relaxing for many people. As we go through our Advent season, Wednesday night worship tend to lend peace to my life after a long day of work.
However, are there times that you find peace in noisy situations? If you are a sports fan like me, you certainly can. For me, there is no feeling quite like the crack of a baseball bat, the swish of a perfectly placed three-pointer, or a tough, gritty touchdown run followed by the road of a crowd. I certainly find peace in these situations, regardless of the noise. Possibly the most relaxing and peaceful thing for me is watching my three young children giggle and play together. The feeling that I get from seeing their little smiling faces, hearing their laughs, and seeing their love for each other is unable to be replicated.
Perhaps, like me, you have had a chance to attend an LCMS Youth Gathering, or another similar large gathering of Christians. In my experience, I saw tens of thousands of young people clapping, cheering, singing loudly, and screaming. But this was no sporting event. These young people were celebrating the greatest event of all: Their salvation through Jesus Christ. To me, it was an extremely miniscule microcosm of what Heaven could be like: thousands upon thousands of the faithful, singing God’s praises and worshiping Him forever and ever.
In the above verse, Jesus discusses leaving his peace with us. Jesus is not discussing any of the silent, relaxing scenes that we visualize. He is talking about the peace that surpasses our understanding: The assurance that, even though we are broken sinners, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus’ perfect life and sacrifice. We belonged on the cross, suffering for our sins, yet we are spared. Because of this, we can shout: “Thanks be to God!”
So, instead of shouting that we need a moment of peace, we are called to live our lives shouting to the people around us the peace that we can have only in Jesus. Our actions, like the shouts and joy of the young people at the Youth Gathering, need to point to our gift of faith in Jesus. As we prepare our hearts to receive the news of Jesus’ birth, may the Lord bless you with the words to say in your life, regardless of your volume, to give witness to your faith in Jesus, the giver of the only peace that matters eternally.
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing me into another day in your creation. Thank you for sending your Son to take away my sins, and for saving me a place in your eternal feast. Please be with me as I make my way through this Advent season. Please give me the words to say and the actions to do to bring witness to your glory, along with your mercy and grace. If it is your will, please allow me some moments of peace during this hectic time as well, and grant me opportunities to provide moments for the people around me. Allow me to prepare my heart for the news of the bringer of all peace, your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.
Journal Questions
- Jesus humbled himself to bring peace, how can the Holy Spirit help me humble myself today to bring someone else peace?
- When is there a peaceful moment in my daily life during which I can reflect on God’s grace and mercy?
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