My Peace I leave with you

I began this sermon with a reflection on my 3 year pastoral review. I decided not to include it in this space. 

Lets pick up after that reflection: 

Our theme this morning is my peace I leave with you. This promise from Jesus-my peace I leave with you-is one those touchstones I return to again and again in my life.

We live in a world full of anxiety-the modern world is filled with new dynamics, we fill ourselves up with things, projects and plans and activities, our stress levels are higher, and we are running ourselves ragged. To take time to be quiet and restful can almost seem impossible, between juggling work and school and family and all of the other tasks that we are expected to master in our 21^st century lives.

And I know that I can fall victim to the temptation of anxiety, worrying about all the things that are going on in my life, in the congregation, and in the world, paralyzed with fear about making mistakes and failing in my task. Since I was a young child, fear of failure has been one of my primary sins.

So it is good for me to year the voice of Jesus say again, my peace I leave with you.

This is why, I think that passing of the peace of Christ is one of my favorite Christian rituals-its such a simple device-greeting our neighbors with a few words of blessing, which makes it easy for children to learn and practice, yet it has profound potential-it is an opportunity for a moment of prayer, lifting up to God those things in a neighbor's life that might lead to chaos. It is a moment of reconciliation, to confess the wrongs you have done to a sister or a brother, at least to God. It can be a moment of rememberance, that on the night that he was betrayed, Jesus offered his peace to his disciples, that they would not be afraid. I love ritual that includes touch, the feel of the waters of baptism, the texture of the bread at communion, the visceral sensation of washing another's feet, and the small ritual of greeting in passing the peace is one of those ways to physically connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now, I know that some people dislike passing the peace- physical contact is not for everyone!

But it is good, I think to remember when we gather the promise that there is deep peace in the world, and we do not have to live in fear.

So what is this peace of Christ that we have been offered?

Well, that may be a trickier question. Unfortunately, context only helps a little bit. This is part of Jesus' farewell discourse to his disciples, which lasts from John 14 to John 17. In this last major block of teaching material there are all sorts of significant statements-things like “I give you a new commandment, to love one another” “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me” “my father's house has many rooms” “I am in the father, and the father is in me” “I am the vine, you are the branches” “as the father has loved me, so I love you, remain in my love” “greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for one's friends”, “I will give you another advocate, who will be with you forever”. Our passage is lodged within a cornucopia of theology, enough to leave a bible study filled with material for weeks. But 'my peace I leave with you' is not part of a larger theological argument, it's more part of a stream of emotionally charged oneliners.

But there are some things we can say about the peace of Christ.

First, it comes connected with the presence of God.

There is this wonderful promise in this text from John: “those who love me will obey my word, and my father will love them, and we will make our home with them”. That is a remarkable vision-God is at home with us. And it gives us a hint about what the peace of Christ might be like-those places where you feel most at home-whether that is around the supper table, sharing stories and food together or on Christmas morning, surrounded by laughter and joy, or in the great outdoors, walking in creation, listening to the voice of the birds, or maybe in Cardinals stadium, cheering with a whole community in the pure joy of a game.

That I think is where our text from Revelation taps into the peace of Christ, with this vision of the river of life, flowing through the new Jerusalem, with the fruit of the tree of life for the healing of the nations, where the servants of the lamb will see Christ's face, and worship him in the city where there is no night forever and ever. This is a promise of home, of rest, of being with God for all time.

But I don't think the peace of Christ is dependent on our emotional state, or where we find ourselves. I may be feeling peaceful right now, after a marathon last Saturday, a successful visit from the Mennonite Mission Network Choir last week (they all say thank you so much for the hospitality, by the way), the ringing voice of John Powell transforming the song Rain Down for me forever, and a wonderful wedding ceremony with Dan and Elisabeth yesterday, but that is, I expect closer to the peace of the world than the peace of Christ.

Rather, Jesus speaks of peace even in times of trouble. For when Lazarus died, he wept with Mary and Martha, in the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed “father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” when the Pharisees confronted him, he was willing to shout “You brood of vipers!” and when the end came, he cried out “My God my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Yet the peace of Christ was with him. For we can have the peace of Christ, even if we get caught up in anger or fear or despair.

Because the peace of Christ that we are offered is not just a sense of things being well with our souls. It is also part of the upsidedown kingdom. Peace, along with it's deep Jewish roots in the notion of Shalom was also an imperial word in the first century. The Roman Empire loved to talk about peace-the Pax Romana, is what they called their empire-the peace of Rome. Look, they said, how nice it is to have all the wars stop after we've won all of them. Isn't this better than it was before?

When Jesus gave a gift, not as the world gave, he was offering peace in the face of the complex, dangerous and violent reality in which we all live. He offered his disciples this peace, even after he has seen Judas go off to betray him, after he knows he has eaten his last supper, and has washed his disciple's feet. Next he will take his friends out to the garden, where he will be arrested, tried, and executed. The peace of Christ exists even here.

The centering wholeness that passes understanding and lasts beyond the edge of the world lives even here. So whether you find it in the waters by the tree of life, or in the promise that God is home with you right now, may you find yourself in times of trouble, and

May the peace of Christ be with you.