May 5, 2013, The Sixth Sunday of Easter

I like the greeting "Peace." I think it is fun to give the "V" for "victory" sign. After the fighting comes victory and final peace. In some Christian art, Jesus gives the "peace sign," and when he holds up his hand, you can see the mark of the nail that held him on the cross. It is only through the cross and death that Jesus brought victory over death and the devil and so gives us true peace. It is peace that comes through forgiveness and reconciliation, when enemies no longer fight, when there are no bad feelings between people, or between people and God. And so the peace sign is a sign that gives blessing.

Jesus said to his disciples, "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." Jesus knew his disciples, and he knew that their hearts were very much troubled and that they were very afraid. This was the night before Jesus was arrested and killed. The disciples knew that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. They were afraid for Jesus, as well as for themselves. Some of the disciples did not understand Jesus when he talked about his death and resurrection and ascension. When Jesus said he was going to go away and then come back to them, maybe they thought he was going to run away to exile in Egypt or something, maybe they thought he would die and come back at the end of the world. But Jesus meant his death and resurrection, and his ascension. After those things happened, then they understood, but now they were confused and afraid. So Jesus had to give them peace for right then, and for after his ascension, too.

"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." The peace that the world gives is nice, of course, but Jesus has promised something even better. The peace of this world lasts only until the next war. It lasts only until the next time we fight with someone. It lasts only until we get sick or worried again. Some people might say there is no peace at all in this world, it only comes when we die, and then they write on the tomb stone, "Rest in Peace." That is too pessimistic. The world does offer a lot of peace. There is the peace of money in your pocket and a good, paid-up insurance policy. There is the peace of knowing you have friends or parents who will help you in any problem. People search for peace in many places: in nature, in sports, in entertainment, in religion, in self-help classes.

There is a difference in the peace that Jesus gives. Whereas worldly peace is to find calm between times of trouble, Jesus gives calm in the middle of the trouble. As Psalm 23 says, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." There is peace because Jesus is with us. There is peace because we are not alone. In today's Gospel lesson Jesus says that the disciples, and therefore we too, will not be alone. Jesus will be with them. The Father will be with them. And the Holy Spirit will be with them. And this is not just an occasional event. Jesus is not with us only when we are praying or when we are in church. I like the expression that Jesus uses, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." I like that expression, "we will come to him and make our home with him." Christ is not a visitor in our lives, he is a permanent resident. Our hearts are the place where the Holy Spirit lives, Ephesians 2:22, "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." The Holy Spirit is not like a worker that gets transferred all the time. He has a job to do in our hearts, and He stays there! When working conditions are bad or there is an economic crisis, workers usually move or find new work. But when our heart has problems, that is when the Holy Spirit is working the hardest. When we are troubled, lonely, worried, sick, fighting, at war: This is when the Holy Spirit works the hardest. We may feel unworthy, we may think our sin will drive the Holy Spirit out of our sinful hearts. But it is the work of the Holy Spirit to make us holy. This is done by proclaiming through the Word and Sacraments the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. In faith we accept the grace of Christ. The expression in today's Gospel lesson is, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." He will teach and remind us about the Gospel, the Good News of what Christ has done for us in his death and resurrection. And this gives us peace: peace with God, peace with ourselves, and then peace with others.

Is the peace of Christ going to end wars and poverty and disease and greed? Eventually, yes, and St. John saw that heavenly vision in Revelations 21:22-27. Will there be that sort of heavenly peace on earth? If so, then this earth becomes part of heaven, and the old world has passed away. That is the work of Christ, and we leave it to Him. But Christ has given us that vision. As we live now in this sinful world of war and hate and disease, the Holy Spirit has taught us the Gospel and reminded us of the love of God. It is this love that makes Christians love other people. It is this love that makes us work for peace in this world, peace in all of its forms: big and small, physical and emotional, private and for the whole world.

Finally, how do you really make the "peace sign"? Is it the "V sign" or the sign of the cross?

May the peace of God which passes all human understanding in you hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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