But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. (Ephesians 2:13-15)Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Peace.
My generation placed a lot of emphasis on peace. We talked about it, wore symbols to show we were for it, we sang about it – peace was everywhere, on our lips, chests, posters. It was everywhere but in our hearts.
That is the problem. You don’t get peace by thinking about it or singing about it or even wanting it. You only get peace in your life through surrender to Jesus.
It sounds simple, to simple in fact. But it is true. That’s the thing. Sometimes the simple things are the answers. Sometimes we work so hard trying to get something when it is right under our noses, available if we would just reach out and get it.
And those who talked about it the most were generally the least peaceful. Their peace (if it were to be called so) came from outside sources – drugs, sex, others – and was only temporary. They were almost frenetic in their search for peace. They wanted it but looked for it, as the song said, in all the wrong places.
Peace doesn’t come through a conscious decision. It doesn’t come through government mandate, or everybody just getting along together. For one things, people do not get together very well even under the best of circumstances.
Peace processes do little or no good because the underlying conflicts and angers are still there. Just because two people sign a sheet of paper doesn’t mean anything.
Peace cannot come by laying down weapons. It can only come through laying down hearts.
It is only when we lay our heart at God’s feet and give ourselves to him that we get real peace.
And this is the real thing. It is the peace that remains even when the world about you is in tumult, when wars are raging and pain is suffered. It stays through troubles and problems. It is not something that is achieved by cessation of violence, but by sacrifice of your own self to God.
It is, to paraphrase a famous saying, not a cheap peace. It is achieved at the expense of your life. It is gained by the loss of yourself. And it is kept in your heart, where the problems of the world cannot touch it.
It comes from God and he alone can give real peace. And he will if you let him.
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