What does Peace Look Like? Oldmachar Church of Scotland Sunday 25 th October 2009

1. What does Peace Look Like? Oldmachar Church of Scotland Sunday 25th October 2009

2. Peace is not an easy subject to think about Jesus words of peace turn our human understanding of peace on its head Jesus words have challenged me and will probably challenge you! Today we’re going to think about: • Our human longing for peace • Jesus as our peace • Jesus way of peacemaking in the church

3. We long for peace but around us we see a world that is: • Wounded, broken, full of pain and suffering • Full of conflict, war, terrible disagreements • Sickness, untreatable illness, imprisoned people • Too much poverty • People carrying around within them the wounds and scars of life

4. Through human eyes peace can seem to be very elusive--something not easily obtained or grasped. But it doesn’t stop us from longing for it and hoping that one day there will truly be peace in our world. Often though, we’re not so good at looking at the scars and wounds we carry around within ourselves. And we don’t always associate what goes on within ourselves with our longing for peace in the world.

5. And yet, when we do, we find that our inner longings are far from new. 21So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Rom 7:21-24

6. So where and how can we truly find peace now? Paul gives us very clear answers For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. Eph. 2:13-14 Jesus is our peace And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus Phil.4:7

7. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.‘ (Mat.10:33) "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mat.10:34-37)

8. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."John. 16:33 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

9. Part of the reason as human beings is that we don’t fully understand what Jesus means when he says the words we’ve just read. We tend to use the word peace to mean the absence of conflict in our lives or that we won’t ever have an enemy. We may long for a rest from stress, from the kids, from the person that bugs us and treats us unfairly, but when we take Paul’s word seriously and look at Jesus as our peace we see something quite different. Jesus speaks about a particular kind of peace

10. Jesus words of peace are not about rest but about the truth. They are words addressed to a particular people who know the truth about themselves To people who know the depths to which they have fallen. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom.3:23) To people who know themselves to be a forgiven people 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ Eph. 2:13 Jesus words are addressed to the church—to the community of God’s people—not just to me or you

11. The church is a story-formed community that tells a true story of love understood through cross and resurrection • The church bears witness to the truth of Jesus story of peace • So the church is God’s gift of peace to the world • The world does not know the truth because it is a place built on lies and deception • The world thinks it can maintain a fragile peace through rules and regulations, rights and entitlements

12. But the church is the story-formed people who are learning to tell the truth about themselves so that it can demonstrate to the world that peace looks like love and forgiveness—not rest, or lies or deception

13. In church we form each other by the stories we tell each other. • So we have to be very careful about the stories we tell • We must ask ourselves if the stories we tell are true stories of love and forgiveness learned from Jesus • Sometimes the stories we tell about ourselves are simply not true and they can be hurtful and demeaning to those around us. • Sometimes they can be stories of our own creation that can show an incredible lack of love and forgiveness and are not in the least like the stories that Jesus tells.

14. The main problem with our self created stories is the word “I” A one letter self centred word—I. The church is not about I—it’s about us together learning to live as a truthful peaceable community that is learning how to love and forgive each other. As a church we say we long for peace but when we leave the fold to look for the lost sheep and bring it home to the fold with the other ninety nine, what will it find there?(Luke 15:3-5) Or if we set out to look for the prodigal who is already finding his way home, is the big brother waiting in the wings full of “I-ness” really going to encourage the prodigal to stay? (Luke 15:28)

15. Sometimes we might pay attention to the woman who lost a coin. Instead of going out to save others, she got out her sweeping brush and swept out her own house until the lost coin was found. (Luke 15:8-10) • That’s a real challenge to us in the church locally and nationally. Is our own house in order so we can go to seek and save the lost? • Supposing we truly wanted to be like the woman who lost her coin, how could we clean up our house? • How could we learn to be better at peaceable truth telling in the church so that the lost sheep and the prodigal son felt welcomed?

16. Supposing we were to sweep our house clean at OM, what would we find? Would we find a peaceable truth telling community well trained to show the world a “more excellent way?”(1 Cor. 12) Or would we find little resentments that go unnoticed or unresolved arguments that are swept under the carpet in the hope that they will just go away in time? Or would we find some lonely hurting people who no longer feel as if they fit in? Or would we find they are no longer there? Or would we find a people so caught up with their own hobby horses that they ignore the people around them?

17. If we did find some of this in church, Jesus way of peace might draw us up short. • Jesus commands us in very practical ways to live as the forgiven people we are • We are not our own—we were bought at a price (1Cor. 7:23) • Love is not easily offended (1 Cor. 13)—doesn’t mean you will never be offended • Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Mat.5: 44)--doesn’t say we won’t ever have enemies! • It’s about our attitude (Phil. 2:5)

18. Jesus is really saying that we can’t afford to just ignore sin or sweep it under the carpet because sin is a threat to the peace of the whole community Confront the brother who has wronged you (Mat. 22: 15-22) But “confront” doesn’t mean you go with an attitude of giving someone a row Means going with an openness to the possibility that you might have got it wrong. Means you go in the hope of reconciliation

19. Confronting in a loving way—Jesus way--may help us to discover that we were not right in believing we had been offended. That’s why Jesus kind of confrontation means going with an attitude that is open to the possibility that it might be me (I) who got it wrong. Or to the possibility that our brother or sister may repent and then we have to do the hard work of forgiveness and reconciliation.

20. We are a people who no longer see our lives as our own. We belong to God the Father through Jesus the Son enlivened by the power of the Holy Spirit. And we belong to each other So in the church community dealing with the personal is vital to the common good of the whole community The local church is where we learn how to do this so that the whole church has an attitude like Christ Jesus.

21. Because we belong to God and to each other, when we practice peace, through faith, we do not do so alone—we are one Body whose Head is Jesus Christ Jesus is always there with us for he has overcome the world Through faith we have an attitude just like Christ Jesus  Through faith we are willing to lose our own lives for Christ Through faith, we have the sword of the Spirit, the word of God Eph.6:17 We know the truth that we will not have a stress free life—like Jesus! Sowe learn not to be easily offended, praying for our perceived enemies, seeking the good of our brothers and sisters at all times

22. What does peace look like? This is the story of peace we have to show and tell the world Then the lost sheep and the prodigals will come home And then wolves will lie with lambs and infants will play with cobras And our days of longing for peace will be over