“The Gift of Peace" based on Romans 5:1-5 and John 14:25-31

When you think of peace, what comes up for you? This became interesting for me as I sought a good pictures to go with the sermon title for our electronic sign. Apparently, according to the internet, peace looks like sunrise or sunset over a body of water, or a pile of rounded rocks stacked on each other, maybe with a person in a yoga pose.

Those are decent. I think they generically connote peace pretty well.

Is it different, for you, though, to consider when you are most at peace? It is for me.

I tend to think of moments of peace in two broad categories: first the ones that are like glimpses of grace when I just notice that there is wonder and peace around me, the second are the ones that I seek out – when I create the space to remember that God is with me and am able to let my guard down well enough that God’s peace seeps in.

The first kind, the just moments of grace when peace is there, are pretty wide ranging. I have often often found peace if I’m outside at dusk (other than black fly season), after a good workout, while in the woods, walking into the sanctuary, during nighttime snowfalls, when I hear achingly beautiful music, and when I’m surrounded by people I love and just savoring the goodness of their presence. Your list is probably unique to you.

Those moments are a gift. They come freely, I savor them when I notice them, and they slowly drift away. Finding inner peace, even if for a moment, is profound.

The second kind is the spiritual practice kind – or maybe the “means of grace” kind. Because people of faith through the ages have taught us that God’s peace is close at hand, and there are ways of connecting to it if we want to. So there is intention, and seeking in these moments of peace. I mostly call it prayer, but it may not look like what prayer expects to look like. Sometimes my prayer is sitting on the porch watching the wind blow through the trees, sometimes it is writing in a journal and sorting out what is happening inside me, sometimes it is taking a walk in nature because (for me) that is so potent as a means of connecting to God.

Sometimes it is sitting still, with my eyes closed, breathing, and intentionally letting go of thoughts as they appear. (That one might “look like” prayer.)

And, sometimes those prayer practices “work” and I let my guard down and I have INCREDIBLE moments of deep peace as a gift from the Divine. And, let’s be honest here, sometimes they “don’t.” Sometimes I can’t get my guard down. Sometimes other things distract me. Sometimes it seems like I get my guard down but the peace doesn’t come. It can’t really be forced.

Now, I’m conflating the grace of the experience of the presence of God with peace, because they conflate for me. They might not for you, that’s a thing to consider for yourself. In any case though, I think that peace is supposed to be one of the gifts of God, something that we receive from the Divine from God’s goodness. And, because we are able to talk about how we receive it and what helps us be open to it, and from that learn how to access peace even when the world is roiling around us, I think it is supposed to be one of the markers of faith.

The capacity to be at peace is meant to be something that differentiates us.

That’s a pretty high bar, huh? Because everyone has different personalities and some are more attuned to peace than others.

And yet, there is something there.

Because this may get at a really core question. What is it that we are seeking in life? Because the world around us tells us what success looks like – and it is things to do with appearances, power, violence, and money. And it is REALLY easy to buy into that narrative because it is EVERYWHERE. Part of the wonder of being within a community of faith is the chance to create a different narrative of success, and encourage each other to hear other options.

What if “success” is connecting deeply enough to God’s peace that it changes the world through us?

What if “success” is trusting enough in God’s love that it flows through us?

What if “success” is letting our hearts be opened wide enough for all of God’s people and all of God’s creation?

What if “success” is becoming loving listeners?

What if “success” is a life filled with joy?

What if “success” is in deep and whole relationships?

What if “success” is in how often we laugh?

What if “success” is in how much we savor wonder and beauty?

What if “success” is in becoming better and better at sharing?

What if “success” is in being able to give power away?

What if “success” is just in being alive and sometimes at peace, and that’s enough?

What if “success” doesn’t matter at all, and it is plenty to simply be?

What if it isn’t hard?

That’s a different narrative than the one I hear in commercials, read in the news, or see on social media.

We have recently brought into our worship the ancient tradition of “passing the peace of Christ” to one another. It has gotten pretty rave reviews around here.

It is also a profound thing that we do. It is acknowledging that God’s peace is with us, that it is worthy of our attention, and that it increases among us as we share it with each other. We are offering blessings to each other, I might argue the best ones. (Because I really really like the peace of Christ.) It gives us space to connect with each other, and it calls us back to the priority of living out the peace of Christ.

And peace, in Hebrew and in God-talk, is this really interesting holistic communal thing that refers to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being of each individual and the whole. It inherently acknowledges that the peace each of us holds is interconnected with the peace each other is holding. But it is a complicated concept in that it is possible to hold onto God’s peace even when not all is well. God’s peace can show up in the worst of times, and hold us together through it. God’s peace can be nurtured within us and within the community and build up resilience within us.

Peace.

Where the world focuses on violence and power, God calls us to nurture, savor, and make space for peace.

Thank God we are called to something different. Thank God we have each other to work with in the effort to nurture, savor, and make space for peace. Thank God for the moments when peace arrives and we are whole. Amen

Rev. Sara E. Baron 
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady 
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305 
Pronouns: she/her/hers 
http://fumcschenectady.org/ 
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

July 16, 2023