Making Room for Peace
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and
his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias
ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of
God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the
region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet
Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths
straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every
mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough
ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
November 11th has many different meanings to
different people.
November 11th, 1918
marked the end of World War I, the war to end all wars. At 11:00 am, on the 11th day of
the 11th month (Paris time) an armistice was signed
At 5am that morning, members of
the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) went over the top and sustained 3,500
casualties.
Battery 4 of the US Navy's
long-range 14-inch railway guns fired its last shot at 10:57:30 am from the
Verdun area, timed to land far behind the German front line just before the
scheduled Armistice began.
Henry Gunther, an American, is
generally recognized as the last soldier killed in action in World War I. He was
killed 60 seconds before the armistice came into force while charging
astonished German troops who were aware the Armistice was nearly upon them.
November 11th, 1919
Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that it should become a day of remembrance, but it
wasn’t until 1938 that it was made a legal holiday
In 1954, after ten years of
wrangling, Armistice Day was changed to Veteran’s Day to honor “a day to be
dedicated to the cause of world peace”.
Since the end of the war to end all wars there has
virtually not been a day when conflict isn’t taking place somewhere in our
world.
The late historian Eric Hobsbawm claims that 187 million
have died in conflicts the last 100 years.
Why am I telling you this?
Because this morning we are
looking at the concept of peace and its relationship to advent.
And I want to make this bold claim --- We cannot make
room for Advent unless we follow the path of peace.
But peace is more than the absence of conflict.
While November 11th stirs many patriotic
emotions in each of us (which it was not created to do).
November 11th means something more to me ---
something that kept me from finding peace for years.
November 11th, 1985 was the day 23-year-old
Stewart Wesley Conger died from cancer.
And the peace that I sought after that day is certainly
not the same kind of peace that was sought on November 11, 1918.
But it was
peace never the less
We cannot make room for Advent unless we follow the path
of peace.
I believe that there are primarily three types of peace
that we strive for
·
Inner peace
·
Peace between people
·
Peace between nations or groups
I am not really going to spend time this morning talking
about the second two kinds of peace (peace with others, peace between nations
or groups) because I am convinced that until we find peace in our own hearts
--- we cannot make peace with others.
One of the things that I love about preaching on topics
like this is I get to do all kinds of research and find out all kinds of
wonderful tips --- now if I could just stop preaching about them and start
living them.
Psychologist Robert Puff, in an article on “How to Find
Inner Peace” in Psychology Today
claims that he has a simple solution that will bring almost immediate relief
and not cost a penny.
He says the solution is only three words long, but most
people ignore his advice.
And what does he suggest?
BE IN NATURE.
He writes:
By nature, I’m referring to an
environment that fosters stillness and silence. This doesn’t necessarily mean a
national park or a rural location far from city life. In fact, in the midst of
nearly every busy city, where you’re surrounded by buildings, people, and urban
gridlock, you can still stand outside, look at the sky, listen to the birds,
hear the wind blow, watch trees sway, and observe a sunrise or sunset. In other
words, nature is accessible to all of us. Nature can even be something we bring
indoors. Potted plants and flowers are simple and wonderful ways to bring the
outdoors into our homes and workspaces. When we’re feeling anxious, having plants
and flowers nearby encourage calmness.
This is the quiet place free
from mental noise that fills our minds throughout the day.
What he really is wanting us to find is quietness ---
stillness in our lives.
When we quiet ourselves we can begin to allow peace to
overflow in us.
In many ways I agree with him --- finding time in nature
is wonderful.
When I want to get away from everything and become filled
with quietness the best place I have found is a cruise ship.
It is one of those places where no decisions are required
--- you are disconnected from the day to day rat race.
I find a cruise the most relaxing vacation I have ever
taken because I can slow down in a way that I normally can’t do
One of the greatest examples I have ever seen of inner
peace is found in the Atticus Finch character in To Kill A Mockingbird.
There's a scene in which
Atticus, the small town attorney defending a falsely accused black man,
encounters Bob Ewell, the low-life white farmer who is the accuser.
A drunk Ewell calls Atticus a
stream of filthy names and then spits in his face.
In the movie, this scene is
played beautifully by Gregory Peck.
With spittle covering his
glasses, he doesn't say a word but reaches for something in his pocket while
staring at Bob Ewell.
Ewell flinches thinking Atticus
is going to hit him, but instead Atticus pulls out a handkerchief and calmly
wipes his face and glasses, then walks away.
Not many people could maintain that state of equanimity
in such a situation.
Finding inner peace is more about being than doing.
It's about leaning toward rather
than struggling against.
It's about being fully present
and focused on the task at hand.
The rewards of finding peace are numerous.
They include mental and physical health and well-being,
self-confidence, better relationships, and a more intense and joyful experience
of life.
If we want to experience inner peace --- there are a few
things we can practice in order to get better at it.
These come from life coach Barrie Davenport.
1.
Have nothing unresolved
Don’t leave the unresolved,
unresolved --- seek help if necessary to put away those things that sap your
energy and steal peace from your life
2.
Surrender and accept what is
We need to let go
3.
Take full responsibility for how you react to others
Know that you get to choose
how you react to others.
Decide who you want to be in
all circumstances
4.
Become aware of and sensitive to feeling rather
than ignoring them
Not only others feelings ---
but your own as well!
Figure out what is behind the feelings
you have
5.
Tell the entire truth
It is amazing how good we are
at lying to ourselves and others --- if we want peace we must quit lying
6.
Know your higher self
Distinguish between your self
versus your mind, ego, needs or past experience.
Take the time to understand
who you really are.
What are your values, your
goals, your joys and passions, your integrity?
Those are what define you and
make you authentic.
7.
Unhinge from adrenaline
Slow down and let go — or risk
losing your health, your relationships, and your peace of mind because of our
adrenaline addiction
8.
Know what rattles your cage
Keep asking yourself, “Why do
I feel this way?” until you know the real answer.
Then deal with the answer
directly.
9.
Step over nothing, even the small stuff
Don’t ignore the small stuff
You may not be able to change
everything, but awareness and the ability to manage tolerations in a healthy
way can bring you peace.
10. Prioritize
peace ahead of performance
Most people live 28,500 days
--- prioritize the days you have left to live.
I think there is some great advice there --- but I would
change the order and urgency of some of them.
As a follower of Jesus, the number one thing that the scripture
tells us we must do (must achieve) if we want peace in our lives is SURRENDER.
And that is the problem in a nutshell
I want to be in control
I want to choose which scripture
to follow
I want to choose who I love and
who I don’t
I want to decide who my neighbor
is
I want to decide how I spend my
money
But God says that PEACE – the peace that passes all
understanding --- only comes from putting our full trust in God.
Every Sunday, as a part of our worship service, we pray:
THY WILL BE DONE --- but do we really mean it?
Or do we say --- Thy Will Be Done --- but only after I
explain why my way is better.
Dwight L. Moody said
“Spread out your petition before
God, and then say, ‘Thy will be done.’ The sweetest lesson I have learned in
God's school is to let the Lord choose for me.”
Until we realize that we don’t steer the ship --- that we
are not in control --- peace will always escape us.
Christian Author J. Oswald Sanders has defined peace as,
“not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.”
Peace isn’t a “thing” that can materialize all at once,
out of nothing, just because people get tired of strife and violence.
Peace — whether international peace or simply good and
open relationships in the home, or with people we deal with daily — this peace
is a process that takes place over time, as we learn to lay aside our self-centeredness
and obey God.
Peace comes to us when the Prince of Peace comes to us.
Paul said Jesus “is our peace.”
During this Advent season we prepare to receive Jesus afresh
into our troubled world, into our church, into our families, into our own hearts.
But the Prince of Peace is here now.
There is peace in our midst, for Jesus is here
·
here in the proclamation of his word;
·
here in our sharing of his gifts, the loaf and
the cup;
·
here in the loving touch of those who know him.
Jesus who is our peace is in our midst.
Therefore, as we prepare to gather around the table we
remember when Jesus said:
“Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your
hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27
Make room for Peace this Advent
Let us pray:
Soften my heart Lord as I seek
to surrender and admit: I can’t control people, plans, or even all my
circumstances, but I can yield those things to you, and focus on your goodness.
Thank you today for every good gift you’ve given, every blessing you’ve sent,
all the forgiveness I did not deserve, and, yes, for being with me in every
moment of life. Teach me to let go and believe you. I know that when I pray and
give thanks instead of worrying, you have promised that I can experience the
kind of peace that passes all understanding. That’s your kind of peace, Lord.
And it’s the kind I crave. Teach me to
surrender. Amen.
There is a wonderful Peanuts comic strip, in it Charlie
Brown and his little sister Sally are talking.
Sally proclaims that she has
inner peace, but is really restless.
She starts ranting and raving
about someone she doesn’t like.
“I thought you
had inner peace,” says Charlie Brown.
“I do,” says
Sally, “but I still have outer obnoxiousness.”
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