Thoughts for the Day

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I looked up the meaning for the word "peace" in a couple of dictionaries, and came up with the following meanings: "tranquillity", "serenity", "harmony", "quiet", and "calm." One dictionary also said "love". Then I looked up the opposite meanings for "peace" and found: "war", "conflict", "strife", "trouble", "unrest", and "anguish".

Jesus said to his disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives." To understand what this gift means we need to look again at the synonyms for "peace" above, and at their opposite or antonym meanings. In the scriptures the word for "peace" - a word often used to greet someone we are just meeting, or equally to say farewell to them, is shalom and this does not mean the absence of trouble or conflict. Rather it means we wish one another the best of everything, or wholeness, to them, despite any trouble they may be experiencing.

The world sees peace as an escape from all that is horrible - a time away from the phone, or the noise of a city, or the clamour of war - but Jesus does not offer an escape from life in this way. His peace is an internal sense of calm that exists even as we cope with sorrow, danger, or suffering. Nothing can take away this sense that God is with us despite everything we may be going through!

Lord Jesus Christ,
it is easy to have faith in Your words of "peace"
when we worship together in church,
or when we are surrounded by the beauty of nature,
or in the midst of our loved ones.
but You offer us a different kind of peace,
that lies deep in our soul
and does not disappear when life is difficult.
May we draw upon this inner strength
on the darkest of days
when all around us is chaos,
knowing that You will never leave us.
Amen.