“Song of Peace”

June 24, 2012

Thomas B. Cundiff

John 14: 27

²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

I.

Presbyterians have long been called “stiff” or the “frozen chosen” mostly because our culture within the Presbyterian church has taught us to be still and quiet when sitting in church listening intently to God’s Word.  This is what I imagine worship to be like back in the 16^th century Geneva when John Calvin was preaching.  

A good example in our ‘thawing out’ as God’s ‘frozen chosen’ is found when we pass the peace.  When I first came to this church we didn’t pass the peace on a regular basis.  The session had major concerns about our taking time, breaking up the flow of worship.  To meet and greet each other in the middle of the service didn’t seem right…..but we learned over time ……  

Passing the Peace….

…. is not just a formal time of greeting.  There is a spiritual component to passing the peace…because we are doing this during worship and it is Christ’s Peace we are passing.

Passing the Peace….

….  is an affirmation that Christ stands with us -- in and between us as we worship – and beyond worship as we live our lives.   

Through the Passing the Peace ….

…. We affirm Christ in our midst  helping us prepare for the hearing and responding to God’s Word.  Truly, the smiles and warm gestures are genuine reflections of how much we appreciate God’s standing with us in our beloved church.

The “Song of Peace” we sang as a hymn focused attention on national, global peace issues.  God only knows we are concerned about what is happening around the globe.  As a nation, we’re always involved in trying to bring peace to one corner of the globe or another…..

Through this sermon I want to back up a bit with the affirmation:  Peace starts at home – within our own hearts and in our personal lives.  WE can’t solve the problems of the world unless we know in our persona lives – personal peace.

We are also concerned about peace in the community…..so these are the two themes I will address this morning….first, our quest for personal peace:

II.  Personal Peace

This rhetorical question:  Have you ever been stressed?  Do things in your life  get stirred up?  Have you ever felt anxious about the way things are going or not going?   Do even the smallest things bug you?   Do you have sleepless nights?

Like this past Monday when I heard from my daughter that she was  in the Emergency Room….out in California a long night over the span of a lot of miles….and a lot of hours…... 

Emily’s okay.  She is working through some pain issues from her back surgerie – at least we hope and pray nothing major is going on! 

Lots of things ‘stir within the pot of human emotions’ – it’s part of life!  

And the truth?  I know a lot of you on a personal level are dealing with ‘so much more’ in your lives than the occasional night in losing sleep….in many cases, layer upon layer upon layer of issues and frustrations and questions and pain and more questions and anxiety and stress – one problem is solved and two or three new ones emerge…..when does it end?  Where is God’s peace?  In many cases peace is as hard to imagine as to obtain! 

I was recently visiting with a woman with facing major health challenges—frustrated that she can’t seem to get straight answers from her doctor.  It’s even hard for her to get an appointment.  Why all the tests?  Why all the waiting?  And on top of everything else with her health, insurance issues ……a frustrating & hopeless sense that all these people who are supposed to be helping her have abandoned her!  At least she has never felt that God ahs abandoned her.  Nonetheless, it doesn’t take much to lose a sense of peace when things around us are so chaotic.

Layer upon layer of issues and concerns bring us to this one place on Sunday morning in searching for God’s peace.  10:00 a.m. Worship.  We are always here!

It’s to be expected that some things will cause anxiety -- surgeries, chemo or radiation treatments, physical therapy, moving, weddings, funerals, more tests --  a long list of things that I have been hearing about in the span of just one week …. from you folks …. all types of things causing stress.

And here we are searching for God’s peace.  10:00 a.m. Worship.  We are always here…together….searching for and finding God’s peace.

My call as a preacher:  in what ways can we as Christ’s church come together for worship searching for God’s peace….peace that not comes from the world of stresses but from God….peace that comes in having Christ walk with us through the ups and downs we experience in our lives? 

The song of peace we long for and need to sing that comes from scripture:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled, do not let them be afraid.”  God is with us.  Christ is with us!  The wind of God’s spirit all around us is singing “peace” -- always blowing in our midst in this sacred place.  Peace.

Perhaps some tips would help as we search for God’s peace:

Something that has been growing/evolving in my ministry over the years is this affirmation:   With God is by our side and in our lives, we can get through anything!  And where do we find God?  This tip:  Pick up the phone and call a trusted friend.  Share your struggles with trusted friends.  Let your friends support you.  Let me, as your pastor, support you.

Another tip:  Turn off the television and the computer.  Eliminate outside distractions.  Find a quiet place to be by yourself.  Block of some time to give yourself a personal gift of time with your thoughts – and God.  It’s not selfish to ask for time for yourself and God.

To be perfectly honest, there is one place you can always go to find some privacy…..at least I hope it is a place free from distractions – the bathroom.  Some other places:  when you are doing your gardening.  A lot of people find this personal space….personal time for reflection when sewing, or running or boating, golfing….this is time for reflection as well.  

The key to success in finding personal time with God is to be INTENTIONAL in saying to yourself…..THIS TIME IS FOR ME!

I am not as consistent with this as I would like, but I really like to start my day, INTENTIONALLY, often with the question:  God, what do you want me to accomplish today?  What can I do to be a better person, to have a positive impact in the life of someone else, and at the same time experience God’s peace.  I find that if I don’t ask these questions early in the day, I can often get distracted and lost in busywork that really doesn’t help anyone at all!

Another tip:  A phrase I read somewhere this past week that resonated with me and fits with this theme “Song of Peace” – the idea of starting each day trying to HARMONIZE YOUR LIFE with what God wants you to be doing.  This is a good tip for the musicians in our midst.  Regardless what we go through in any given day, try to make sure everything is done in harmony with what God wants us to be doing.  In my mind, how could we go wrong…at least trying to live our lives in harmony with God!!!

The best place to share your joys and struggles with God is right here….in this sacred place – in worship.  This is the place where we can come to know that, together, God’s peace can be found.  We need to always make sure within this church is a sacred sanctuary where we can share anything.  This is also that sacred space where you will always be greeted with open hands and outstretched arms – loved and accepted regardless who you are or what is going on in your life.

To be honest:  We will still fret over things.   Things will always be things in this world stirring things up in our lives pulling us away from God’s peace.  The important thing I can share with you – preaching today – is again this point worth repeating:  God can help us get through anything.  We always do! 

God is by our side Christ will always be ready to sing with us, in harmony, a “Song of Peace.”

III.  Community Peace

I want to take just a couple of minutes to talk about peace we long for in this community.  All the violence in homes and streets throughout this city are troublesome for all of us.  The Mayor has called this a CANCER that needs to be removed from our city.  As a church that teaches peace, there is important work we can be doing – work we ARE doing in using this building and our resources in this location within the city. 

We think of issues in our personal lives piling up causing us stress.  I can’t imagine what is going through the minds in the hearts of mother’s and father’s and aunts and uncles and grandparents whose sons and daughters are being bullied, injured – even shot – entire neighborhoods that have to witness this type of violence in different parts of this city – and we all experience the pain, the lack of peace….   

Thank God we are Christ’s church in this neighborhood at least TRYING to do something to help the children in this community.   There is so much more going on through this church than what we experience on Sunday mornings….thank God!

YOUTH CENTER:

I had a long talk with Yvonne Thomas, the director of the Mark Neumeier Youth Center…..their summer day camp for children opened this past week and will remain open 9-4 weekdays until August.  We are so lucky to have this youth center in our church with devoted leaders and structured programming helping children learn what it means to live in peace….  The program isn’t perfect!   At least, in our own small way, we are – intentionally – doing something for the children in our community!

WOMEN OF COLORS

Women of Color’s is another group of volunteers who provide positive mentoring for girls and boys….helping children live their lives in harmony with those values that can exemplify what it means to live in peace….with peace in our lives, our homes, -- and with God.   

SUMMER MAGIC

Being role models for appropriate behavior and PEACE is one of the major values we teach in hosting Summer Magic – Tuesday mornings in July.   Through our actions, doing things together in the context of a positive environment – these efforts combined with efforts of others throughout this city have a positive impact on what is happening in our city. 

Honestly, I have to believe that the hundreds of children who participate in some of these programs capture some life-skills that will not only help them be safe – but a domino effect can begin as peace moves from one youngster to another …then one household to another household…sweeping through our community.  

Granted these are really small steps in working for peace in the community, but I have to believe every small step can make a difference I someone’s life.  We are making a difference as a church in the lives of others.   That’s why we are here, in his neighborhood in this time and place….searching for ways to use this magnificent building God has given us – to impact not just our personal lives on Sunday mornings….but the lives of others in this community throughtou the week.   

IV. 

In our personal lives, we long to sing a ‘Song of Peace’….in harmony with all God teaches and preaches.  We long for….we search for peace in our personal lives.  As a church, we also long to sing a “Song of Peace” in this community….a song of peace  that replaces violence, harsh words – tensions on our streets – with love and hope and peace.

I want to end with scripture we started with…..in personal time with God think about what scripture says – sacred words of Jesus:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid”

May we learn to sing of God’s peace in our personal lives.  May we, as a church, continue to sing God’s song of peace in the community.  

May the Peace of Christ be with you.  And your response:  And also with you.

AMEN