3rd Sunday After Pentecost
The Pursuit of Peace
This week I found myself repeatedly drawn to the words in our Roman text for this morning. In our text today Paul tells us that we have received peace and grace through Christ, and because of that we have reason to hope—or boast as Paul writes— even in the midst of suffering. And yet as I look around, I wonder to myself, where is this grace and peace that Christ has promised? I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually feel very peaceful in our world. In fact, sometimes it seems as if there is a peace shortage—conflict, busy schedules, suffering—we often seem to be looking for and longing for peace. Where are we supposed to go to find peace in a world where peace is often lacking?
The concept of peace can be understood in many different ways. Some would say that peace is simply the absence of violence or conflict. We certainly need more of that kind of peace in our world. All we need to do is watch the news about wars and gun violence, or listen to fighting politicians to be reminded of the divisions around us. We long for peaceful streets and a peaceful government where people can get along.
Or, rather, perhaps we can define peace as a time of quiet and calm. When I think of this kind of peace I think about a parent trying to find a quiet place for a few moments of solitude when the kids are rambunctious. If you have ever been a parent or spent time with your children I’m sure you know what I mean. In reality though, we all need some peace and quiet time to rest and relax now and then. After all, that is why God made the Sabbath.
Maybe peace can be defined as the calm before the storm, the eye of the hurricane, or the time of unawareness before a conflict boils to the surface—the times when we think everything is hunky-dory and are then surprised when conflict disrupts our sense of peace and normalcy. I’m reminded of the protests that occurred in 2020 after the murders of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd as an example. For decades many white Americans, including myself, were peacefully unaware of the quiet racism that has been happening under the surface, and in 2020 this false peace boiled over and made us pay attention. Cries of “No Justice, No Peace” made us realize that there has been little peace for people of color in this country. Sometimes the peace we think we feel is simply our being blissfully unaware.
All of these definitions of peace have some validity to them, but the problem with these various understandings is that they are all temporary and conditional, dependent on the events of the world and our environmental circumstances. This kind of peace comes and goes. Wars start and eventually they end. We find moments of quiet for a little while, and then the noise and the busyness returns. Conflicts arise in relationships, and in time hopefully they are resolved. These moments of peace, quiet and calm are wonderful when they are here, but they don’t last forever. In other words, what we are talking about here is earthly peace, limited and imperfect. So what are we to do when the peace that surrounds us for a little while disappears, and where do we go to find lasting peace?
The peace that Christ offers is a different kind of peace. Can you think back to a time or a place where you felt completely at peace? I mean more than simple contentment or relaxation, but rather something deeper—an internal or unshakable peace, the kind of peace that is not influenced by the world around you.
I first experienced this kind of peace on the banks of the Platte River when I was in college, and frankly it was during one of the least peaceful periods of my life. I was going through a time of depression, learning the ropes at college, and trying to figure out how to be an adult for the first time. I often felt overwhelmed and I found myself searching for some peace, something to keep me grounded as everything else was shifting and changing around me.
After one particularly rough day I was trying to get out of my head and away from my negative thoughts, so I decided to go on a drive to see the Platte River. It had been one of my favorite places as a kid and I have many good memories of climbing on the river rocks or combing the river banks for washed up treasures. It was a special place for me growing up and on that day I wanted to take a trip down memory lane.
When I arrived at the river I thought I would only be there for a few minutes, but I wanted to enjoy it so I found a comfortable spot among the river rocks and took time to simply be. I listened to the sound of the rippling water and the occasional splash of a fish. I watched the water ever flowing, the current fast in some places and slow in others. I watched the occasional log float along, and the birds flying over the water. I felt the sunshine overhead and the light breeze rustled my hair. It was beautiful, and I felt God there with me in the midst of it all. Before I knew it I had spent more than six hours sitting there along the river bank, and when I left I felt a peace I had never felt before, and I walked away with a new perspective on life too.
That day I came to think of life as a river. Life around us is always moving and always changing, just like the water of a river is always flowing, shaping the river bed and the banks as it flows along. Sometimes in life we feel like we are caught in the fast current of busy schedules and stressful situations. Sometimes we are simply trying to stay afloat in the chaotic waters. Other times in life we are in the slow moving waters—a comfortable rhythm of day to day life, or perhaps waiting for what is next to come along. But regardless of the currents or situations we find ourselves in, life keeps moving and keeps flowing along the course, just like a river.
The peace that God offers is much the same way. God’s peace is knowing that life keeps moving and changing, through both good times and bad. The seasons change—rain, ice and dry spells too—but even in the dead of winter life perseveres and the water still flows underneath the frozen surface. God’s peace is what nurtures us and sustains our lives, just as the waters of a river are a source of life for earth and creatures. God’s peace is the movement of the Holy Spirit, ever-present and flowing through us, and God’s peace is the hope and inner assurance that comes with God’s faithful promises for reconciliation and new life.
Said simply, God’s peace is a lasting inner peace that is transformative, and once we have truly received the inner peace that God offers, we receive an inner strength that the world cannot take away, a reassurance that God is at work in this world to bring about lasting peace and we have a part to play in doing this work. God’s peace gives us confidence to act and a reason to hope for a better world, to seek justice and do what is right even in the most difficult of moments.
The inner peace that God gives reminds me of a quote from the late senator and civil rights activist John Lewis, and I want to finish with that today. John Lewis says: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.” These words by John Lewis are powerful, and between the lines I think they speak to God’s peace. God’s inner peace is unshakeable, and it gives us hope and the freedom to live out these words in our lives each day as we seek to do God’s work in the world.
So today, my prayer for you is that you experience the peace that God offers, a peace so much deeper than what the world can offer. May God’s peace flow through each us of like an ever-flowing river, and may God’s peace be a source of renewal, courage and endurance, a source of hope grounded in God’s faithful promises that inspires us to live out our faith and do God’s work. May God’s peace keep you and hold you fast and give you reason to hope no matter what may come. May God’s peace live within us, and may we share that peace with the world. Amen.