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6 Easter C—May 1, 2016
Acts 16:9-15
Psalm 67
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
John 14L23-29
The Rev. David R. Wilt
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
What is this thing peace to which Jesus refers?
I have often thought of this peace that Jesus talks about as brief moments of total calmness which may embrace us, ever so often, definitely a very personal feeling, a very private experience. Moments perhaps describable only as Holy Spirit moments.
And, perhaps because of it’s personal and private nature a fleeting feeling, a Christ like peace that may embrace us but then just a quickly it is gone. It almost has to be that way, because no sooner does that “peace” enfold us, then we are made aware of the lack of peace that dominates the world.
We cannot escape the ripples of discord and dismay, of separation and disharmony, and blindly remain at the level of peace that Jesus refers, for until the world is at peace, there is in reality no peace. So long as any of God’s children do not live at peace, and I refer here to that , “Peace of God that passes all understanding,” then the peace that Jesus gives us will only be illusory and at best fleeting moments.
For in reality until all of our sisters and brothers feel that Peace of God then none of us will be able to enjoy even the briefest semblance of sustained peace.
This kind of peace may begin in the individual, embracing this peace of Christ, but unless the circle of our compassion includes all then there is no peace. Our peace cannot be sustained so long as with in the world, in which we live, injustice and oppression exist. They are totally contrary to the concept of peace and accord and therefore if we are to live in peace injustice and oppression are not acceptable—period.
William Wilberforce would say, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
Our mere knowledge of the struggles that our fellow human beings are enduring should, if our consciences are functioning even at half speed, destroy any semblance of peace that we may embrace.
This peace which Jesus leaves with us is described in our passage from Revelation today:
“In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almight and the Lamb. And, the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never shut by day, and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood.”
The writer of Revelation describes the Holy City Jerusalem
at that point in time when God will be pleased with what God sees. The Holy City Jerusalem stands as a model for the world at peace.
Of course we know that is far from the reality. If you have been to Jerusalem in the recent past it could not be further away from the description in Revelation. It is a microcosm of nationalist zeal, greed, mistrust, oppression, broken promises and shattered dreams. God is still confined within the single remaining wall of the Temple. The gates to the city are heavily guarded. In fact, entrance to some gates involves searches and metal detectors. Forget even thinking that the gates will never be shut or that there will be no night there.
If the realization of this peace that Jesus leaves with us lies within the contrast of the Holy City Jerusalem as it is today and the Holy City Jerusalem as presented in Revelation then the difference between the two is a giant chasm.
Part of realizing the Peace that Jesus left with us lies directly in our ability to bridge that chasm of misunderstanding and mistrust. It lies directly in our ability to live out the implications of our faith and the affirmations that we have made along the way to respect the dignity of every human being.
The song that we sang for the Gospel procession has some interesting words we should really think about. “They will know we are Christians by our love” has a couple of interesting verses.
“We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, and together we’ll spread the news that God is in our Land.”
“We will work with each other, We will work side by side. We will guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride.”
If we are only walking with other Christians and only walking hand in hand with other Christians than our circle becomes one of exclusion our vision become blind to the love of God embraced by millions of others. If we are only working side by side with other Christians then we will be doing pretty much nothing to bridge the chasm between the current Jerusalem and the Jerusalem of Revelation.
Matthew Henry said, “When Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples, who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better—His PEACE”
How fitting it is that he gave his followers, those who would carry on his message out into the world, those who would constantly be engaging non-believers and believers who believe other things the one gift that was and remains totally illusive. The one inheritance we can only share when we seek to bring that peace to the shattered broken souls for whom the world bears no resemblance to that Holy City Jerusalem.
John Lennon would write, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us and the world we live as one.”
With that ‘peace” of mind, we can make this a better place, a heavenly holy city, Jerusalem.