THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is John 14 (click here for text)

Do not let your hearts be troubled…

Wow, how do you do that? I hear Sean Hannity say this whenever I listen to his radio show. It sounds good, but sometimes, it seems contradictory… I am often very troubled after listening to his show or any news broadcast. This world, our nation, the Church… there just seems to be plenty out there that is troubling. Most of the time, I find myself asking, “Why?” Why shouldn’t I be troubled?

I find that too many Christians (who happen to be politically conservative) these days are speaking so negatively about the state of the world—politics, economics, society, etc. It’s easy to do that. But if we dwell too much on it, we might find ourselves shutting down, turning inward, protecting ourselves. When we think the world is out of control, we try that much harder to batten down the hatches and maintain whatever control we can of our own lives. But Jesus doesn’t leave us with that option. He says we can’t have our own peace. We must live in the peace that he leaves with us (John 14:27).

Jesus’ peace, when I think about it, doesn't so much take away all the difficult things in life but makes them bearable. It's actually a little more than that. Jesus’ peace doesn't take away the difficult things in life; it just keeps them from dominating, from having mastery, from defining who I am and the possibilities around me. It's like these things – our needs, wants, broken places – they still are accurate descriptions of us, at least parts of us, but they no longer define us. We are more than what's missing. We are, as Paul says, a new creation. Jesus’ peace makes this possible. Peace understood this way is not merely some divine plug for the hole we each carry around inside of us, but rather it is a summons to be more, to live and love more, to share more because there is so much more that God desires for us.

Hannity can’t give this kind of peace; I can’t give you this kind of peace—only Jesus can! His is the peace that comes from knowing that no amount of trouble in this world will every undo what he has done. His peace means knowing the world and all that troubles it will pass away and what will remain is the new creation in Jesus Christ. This may seem a flimsy shield against the troubles that will face you tomorrow. But Jesus says, “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.”

Pastor Aaron