Acts 16:9-15                                                                                                                          Carol A. Solovitz

Psalm 67                                                                                                                 Easter 6 C

Revelation 21.10, 22-22.5                                                                                                     May 13, 2007

John 14:23-29

No Jesus, No Peace – Know Jesus, Know Peace

 

 

 

When you think of God, what images come to your mind?  How do you envision God’s appearance?  What does it feel like to be held in God’s arms?

Do you have the vision of the Almighty as described by the prophet Daniel – a wizened, unapproachable old man with wild white hair and a long beard?  Or do you think of the God as encountered by Moses – in a burning bush that does not burn up?  This is God who cannot be seen by the human eye; anyone who looks at the face of God will not live. 

Some people think immediately of God the Holy Spirit, described in Hebrew as the ruah, the breath of God.  In Greek, the Spirit is the pneuma (breath) and also sophia (wisdom).  This is the God we cannot see, but which we can feel and whose effects we observe, something like the wind.

Then there is Jesus, the Son of God, who is the bridge between the Father and Holy Spirit.  My son once said that Jesus is the peanut butter that holds together the sandwich of the Trinity.  Jesus is approachable and touchable, reaching out to all.  Jesus makes God real.

Perhaps when you think of being held in God’s arms, you have a totally different image.  I once thought of God only as the wizened, white-haired old man, but over time my image changed.  In several Bible studies, I have described the feeling of being in my late grandmother’s lap.  Grandma Cora was a very big woman with a big soft lap.  As a little girl, I loved to crawl into her lap and snuggle there; it was like being surrounded by soft pillows.  I have always remembered how safe and warm it felt.  To be held there was to be at peace; often I would fall asleep in Grandma’s lap as I listened to her soothing voice telling stories and laughing with the family.  This is how I envision being in the presence of God. 

Since it is Mother’s Day, let me give you another parental image.  Have you ever seen a toddler in Mommy’s arms and balanced on her hip?  It is not unusual to see the toddler lean away from Mother, farther and farther out until it looks like the child might fall.  But is the child worried?  Not at all!  The toddler might be laughing or looking around at the floor, the ceiling, the room, Mom’s face.  The important thing is that the little child is not worried about falling.  Why?  Because the little one is in Mommy’s arms.  The child is confident that Mama will not let go, that she will do everything she can to protect the baby.  And with all her strength, that is exactly what happens.

I think of this as a picture of true faith.  If we trust God’s love and protection as much as the toddler trusts its mother’s, then we also will know true peace and security, no matter how far away we might lean from God.

Today’s Gospel reading from John 14 and the lesson from Revelation 22 both talk about peace.  Jesus talks about the peace that he leaves to his followers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”  Even though he is going away, Jesus will give them peace.  Revelation describes the peace in the new Jerusalem, the holy city that comes down out of heaven from God after Christ has conquered Satan.  There is no need for anything; God provides everything we might need.  The light of Christ is so bright that there isn’t even a need for the sun or the moon to shine.  There is nothing to fear, for God and the Lamb (Jesus) will keep heaven safe and clean and pure and sacred.

This vision from Revelation is global in scope. In this vision, "the nations" come together in the holy city. The nations will walk by the glory of God; the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into the city; and the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations.  The large scope of this vision brings hope, as so many people in so many lands are threatened each day by disaster and violence. It seems that the boundaries of countries are arbitrary when it comes to God, creator of all the earth.  With our Lord, peace abounds.

Have you seen the bumper sticker with the words I borrowed for this sermon’s title?  “No Jesus, no peace ~ Know Jesus, know peace.”   I really like the saying, but there are times when it is hard to believe.  Oh, I can accept that if I did not have Jesus, I would not have true peace in my life.  However, even those who know Jesus (k-n-o-w) are not immune to disaster.  Just think of the many victims of wars around the globe.  Think of those who are murdered each week; some of them know Jesus intimately, yet they meet violent ends.  The fires around our nation this past week have left the stain of fear and great loss, even to the most faithful believers.  Why, our own ELCA camp in the Boundary Waters – Wilderness Canoe Base – was a victim by the fire! 

As I watched the posthumous graduation of students killed at Virginia Tech a few weeks ago, I thought, “So where is the peace that Jesus promised?”  In John 14.27, Jesus says, “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  That, my friends, is the peace of knowing Jesus.  Peace comes from a faithful relationship with God.  Peace means trusting that, no matter what may happen, there is safety in the arms of the Lord.  I remember our 1994 Zumbro trip to Holden Village in Washington, when forest fires were so near that the Forest Service closed the Village.  We were allowed to ride the boat up Lake Chelan, though, and on our way back from Stehekin, we picked up the Holden Village staff.  They were grieving and somewhat in shock, but they were not without hope.  There was a peace about them that bespoke trust in the goodness of God’s mercy.  It was what St. Paul described as “the peace that passes understanding.” 

Dear friends, even as we are surrounded by events and an atmosphere of violence and disruption, we are secure.  We are at peace in the knowledge that through Christ, we have won peace at all times and in all circumstances.  Jesus won for us the peace of heaven.  He sent the Spirit to give peace and security so that we would not fear for our lives or for the future.  Jesus holds us safely in his strong arms and on his strong hip, so that no matter how far away from him we lean, he will not let us fall.  And even though we die, we have the promise of heaven and the eternal light and presence of our Lord and Savior.  In that knowledge, there is peace.  I am happy to proclaim to you:  “No Jesus, no peace.  Know Jesus, know peace.”

Shall we pray?    Gracious God, we beg you to break into all the wars, violence, disruption and disasters of the world.  Through Jesus, bring your healing presence and your peace, giving hope and security to all who know him.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

HYMN OF THE DAY          “Alleluia! Jesus is Risen!”                                                                     ELW 377

    The tune is "Earth and All Stars"