God With Us Through the Gift of Peace
with Rev. Laura Sherwood
December 10, 2023
This Sunday’s message will grapple with the questions of how and where we find peace in lives that may be filled with stress, anxiety, and concern as well as in a world that is so often torn up by conflict, violence, and injustice.
The Scripture
Psalm 85: 1-2, 8-13
You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.
…
I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Read the Full Text
Each week of Advent, we are focusing on the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. It always intrigues me, and often bothers me, that these gifts of our faith are also often promised in commercials – suggesting that they are things we can buy or attain in the secular world. This is especially true at Christmas. Have you ever noticed it? Next week will talk about Joy – Joy is for sale all over the place in the great presents you can buy and the wonderful parties you can attend. We will focus on Love in 2 weeks – love is also for sale – at least the expression of it – in the heart shaped necklace, a plasma TV or my favorite, a new Lexus with a big red bow on top – all will definitely show the love you feel. Even Hope – last week’s theme – is represented in some of the Christmas commercials – not in a self-serving way – but by encouraging us to give to wonderful programs like Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army, or Hurricane Relief.
Don’t get me wrong – I am not opposing any of these venues or advertisements. I love the commercials that encourage us to give to worthy causes, especially at this time of year, and I personally would not refuse the heart-shaped necklace or even a brand-new Lexus. I just find it interesting that the promises and gifts of our faith can also be found so readily in the advertisements and trends of our culture. Except for the one we are focusing on today – Peace.
Finish reading
Maybe I’ve just missed it, but I haven’t really seen any advertisements for things you can buy or do that will bring Peace. In fact, Peace seems to be the most impossible goal of all especially when we tune in to what’s going on in the world or perhaps more often when we are faced with the very real anxieties, griefs and conflicts of our own lives.
Why is Peace so much harder, so much more elusive than the other faith gifts of love, hope and joy?
The Hebrew word for Peace is “Shalom.” And it literally means the absence of war, the absence of conflict. It also means the absence of injustice and the healing of anything that used to be torn apart, the making whole of anything that was incomplete.
Can you think of any area in your life that could really use some absence of conflict? Do you see any need for the absence of injustice in our country or absence of war in the world? Do you see any need in our community for healing? How would those places look if peace were to truly take hold? Of all the wonderful things that are advertised at this time of year, is there anything we need or want more than Peace? So, the question is – where can we find it and how can we keep it?
This is not a new question. Peace seems to be one of the most acute and on-going needs in all human history. It is one of the greatest longings of the soul and is one of the only gifts of faith that the commercial world has not yet found a way to mass produce. Peace is the oldest promise of God that continues to echo through the centuries, speaking to the hearts of those who still dare to believe.
Today’s reading from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, is one of the most known and most read during Advent because it speaks of God’s promise to send a Savior – a promise that was made long before the actual birth of Jesus. Isaiah called this promised Savior the “prince of peace.” Although today’s passage does not contain the word “peace,” I think it is one of the greatest descriptions in scripture of what God’s peace will look like when it comes into the world.
4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 11He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
God’s peace will smooth out the rough places in our lives and make even anything that is out of sorts or in distress. God’s peace in Christ will nourish our souls and gather us in loving arms. God’s peace will lead us gently through our lives even when life isn’t so gentle with us, and God’s peace will last.
Many of you may remember two guests we had here in October for the Annual Speaker event – Steve Gumaer and Jon Peerbolt. They spoke on behalf of their organization NOVI that works with children living in war zones, right now in the war zone of Ukraine. They have developed what they call a life kit of specially designed activities and games to help children learn ways to calm themselves, to deal with stress, and even to have fun – despite the fact that there is a war literally all around them.
Steve and Jon spent time with our children and youth that weekend, visited with many of us at both worship services and then shared their full message at the afternoon event. They also brought a special gift available to everyone as an expression of thanks for our support. It was an ornament in the shape of a sunflower made from recycled newspapers designed and hand made by a Ukrainian refugee attached to a card (hold up card with ornament). They mentioned at the time that it could be hung on our Christmas trees this season. I have a few more out in the lobby today if you did not get one in October.
I must confess that at the time, I just put my whole card on a shelf and had forgotten until this week that the sunflower detaches to become an ornament (demonstrate), which I now have hanging on my tree at home. It was today’s scripture from Isaiah that made me think of it. When I look at it on my tree, I see it as a wonderful symbol of how Isaiah describes God peace and the peace of God in Christ that we always need and especially look for in this season.
The Peace of God in Christ is not a peace that removes the conflicts of our lives or the rough places in our world but is a peace that transcends them and points to the different reality that will last forever. The peace of God in Christ is the promise that there is more to life than what we are dealing with in the here and now – that this life is not the final chapter in God’s story. As the prophet says, 8The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
The Peace of God in Christ is a peace that is made to last. It is a part of eternity that can help smooth out the rough places of our lives in the here and now and bring comfort to our souls. The Peace of Christ at Christmas is a gift of our faith that is beyond all measure, a gift that is given freely to all.
I would like to try a different way to end the sermon by inviting us into a time of guided prayer – with time built in to listen for God’s voice. Listening for God’s voice is what all believers and churches are asked to do as part of the life of faith and something we will include intentionally in our congregational mission study at the beginning of the year. Today, the intent is to give us time to listen for the peace of God’s voice in our own lives and in the life of this congregation. I invite us now to center ourselves in heart and spirit. The spoken prayer will be followed by a brief time of silence that I will end with a few words to close the prayer. Let us be in prayer together: