December 14, 2023

Dec 14, 2023

Image: Barbara Ryther

“Peace”

Such an easy word to say.
A soft exhalation through briefly closed lips, then a gentle hush.

Saying it is the easy part. Finding it is harder.

What does it look like to you?

A dove, a crane, a thousand cranes?
A candle in an Advent wreath?
A moment of calm on a noisy day?
The release of troubled thoughts?
The easing of unrelenting pain or grief?
A day without gunshots?
A week without bombings?

Is peace something we hope for? Work for? Search for?

In the midst of searching for human peace, how do we approach the peace of God?

When we ‘pass the peace’ in Sunday morning worship, what do we receive from each other? What do we give? What flows through us? How do we, as individuals and a church, try to grasp the unfathomable peace of God?

Phillipians 4:6-7 says:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

To transcend is to be greater in scope. God’s peace is greater than whatever troubles our lives, our communities, our world.

God’s peace to you. Whether or not we can ever understand it, accept it. Let it guard your hearts and minds.

 

-Barbara Ryther