Sermon Notes for December 31st

December 31, 2006
The Peace of Christ
Colossians 3:12-17

1. As we know, the Apostle Paul wrote a number of letters to various churches throughout the ancient world. The beginning of each letter goes like this:

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, my word to you today, on this last day of the year 2006 should be the
same:

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

These words form the beginning of Paul's letters to Romans, Corinthians, Colossians (the one we read today), Ephesians, Philippians, Thessalonians, and they even appear at the beginning of some of the non-Pauline letters such as First and Second Peter and the book of Revelations.

2. It is commonly thought, of course, that the very early church was all of one mind about who Jesus was and that things today have gotten out of hand.
How amazing, how strange, it is that here today, for instance, in Bemidji that we have some 26 different churches -- all with different attitudes and practices in worship and belief -- all derived from the same person -- Jesus Christ.

But, the reality is that divisions and disagreements over who Jesus was and is were prevalent from the very beginning. This was largely forgotten. And even now, quite often, people will say, "We need to get back to the religion of the early church -- as if that were some kind of Golden Age." But the reality is that the Christian faith has had to struggle from the very beginning with many competing concepts and ideas. Some were outrightly hostile to Christianity ... and others sought to more subtly corrode the faith from within.

3. Paul, in his letter to the church in Colosse (which we just read) is trying to counteract some of these contradictory attitudes which included Gnosticism, astrology, asceticism, and certain philosophical ideas. Paul reminds the church that they need to stick to the basics - to practice the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. And they are to forgive others and to cloth themselves with Love. This will come about, he says, if they let the Word of Christ dwell in them. Lastly, they are let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts.

And certainly, Peace is one of the attributes of the church (which Paul calls the body - the body of Christ). Imagine that! The church at peace!



Seems like quite often churches are anything but at Peace! Quite often churches are filled with disagreements and controversy. And because religious faith, it seems, is so important, so close to our hearts and minds, we can quite easily become upset and threatened whenever someone disagrees with us on religious matters. Isn't that right? Religious faith is no trivial matter because it goes to the heart of who we are and why the world is the way it is ... it is a very difficult and extremely important matter in our lives.

And I suspect that some of you may have spent the holidays with relatives and friends and had to be very careful not to talk about religion (or
politics) because it might have started an argument or caused people to be uncomfortable. This was necessary in order to preserve PEACE in the family.
And this comes under the common sense truth that "discretion is the better part of valor."

4. Peace, Peace, and there is no peace, or so it seems. "Where is the peace?" We ask. Certainly not in the world today. Certainly not in the world ever ... for since the beginning of time there have been wars and conflicts throughout history.

Yet, there have been times of relative peace in the world. Strange as it may seem, the larger world in Jesus time was at peace. At lest on the surface. It was called Pax Romana. Latin for the Peace of Rome. The Roman peace. This lasted from just before the birth of Jesus well into the second century – over 200 years more or less.

Now this does not mean that there were no wars or uprisings. In fact, it only demonstrates how large and powerful the Roman Empire was that historians can say that it was a time of peace. Tell that the Jews. For in 70 AD they revolted and were subsequently crushed by the Roman Legions, the Temple was burned, and 100s of thousands were slaughtered. Not exactly peace in Israel during that time. But, what was Israel to the Roman Empire? Just a small far away country of little consequence. Kind of like Afghanistan, is today. Some place that few have heard of and even fewer have been too. In truth, Israel didn’t count for much back then – at least not until Jesus appeared on the scene.

5. The peace of Rome is compared to another time of world peace -- which lasted for 100 years from the end of the Napoleanic wars in Europe in 1815 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. During that time, the British Empire flourished. The British Navy ruled the seas (despite the fact that they had not succeeded in subduing the American colonies). This period was called Pax Britannica. And it was said that the "Sun never set on the British Empire."





I was once in the British Museum in London. There you can see artifacts and treasures from all over the world (like mummies from Egypt, for instance) which were brought back to London from the far flung colonies and territories which were under the British rule. Pax Britannica.

Now, today, or at least since World War II, when the United States emerged as the real victor, America is the one great superpower in the world -- at least for now. This has lead some commentators to compare us to the other great Empires. Not that we, as a democracy, are out to conquer other nations, but because of our wealth and power we are able to wield great influence in the world. No other nation in the world spends anywhere near the amount of money on military weapons and soldiers. No other nation has bases and troops stationed in every part of the world. No other country has the burden of trying to maintain peace in the world. Therefore it may be argued that, as the major superpower in the world, we live in a time of American Peace - the Peace of America - Pax America.

6. But is it real peace? What is the real peace? And what does Paul mean when he says ...let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." What does Paul mean when he begins each letter with the words: "Grace to you and Peace from God our father and Jesus Christ our Lord."

One thing is clear, this peace of Christ is not the same as the Peace of Rome. It is not an earthly peace. It is, as Jesus put it, not of this world. No, Jesus sharply distinguished his powers, his realm, from that of the worldly powers -- such as Rome. For when the Pharisees tried to trick him, he said, "Render onto Caesar what is Caesars, and unto God, what belongs to God." And elsewhere, he said, "My kingdom is not of this world."

No, the Roman Peace was established by military force – whereas Jesus’ kingdom is non coercive and non violent. For instance, the famous Roman poet Virgil describes the Roman peace in these words:

Roman, remember by your strength to rule earth's peoples -- for your arts are to be these: to pacify, to impose the rule of law, to spare the conquered, and battle down the proud.

Not everyone, of course, saw it that way. Especially those who were subjugated by Rome ... as we see in the words of conquered general in Britain who said: “To plunder, butcher, steal, these things they misname empire: they make a desolation and they call it peace."

7. So, how on earth, we might ask, could Jesus stand up to this kind of political and military power? How would Jesus kingdom fair against such a superior force?

And how does Jesus’ Kingdom stand up in our lives today? How does the Peace of Christ compete with the the powerful forces of modern day politics, economics, social customs, controversial ideas, television and the media?

How, in today’s world, can compassion, kindness, humility and patience compete with a world where we are advised to look out "for number one." A world where we admire the one among us who can be so clever as to out smart all the rest and become the final "survivor?" While all the rest are regarded as "losers." Or a world where everyone's most admired person is an "American Idol" and we make fun of those who are failures?

So, let us not suppose that it was any different in the time of Paul and Jesus. For theirs was a world oppressed by many forces. So much so, that many people believed that the world was totally evil (which included the body itself) ... and that only the spirit was good and only through special secret knowledge and practice could one be liberated from this dark world. This was called Gnosticism and was very popular in the time of Paul.

8. For the rest of the people, especially the Jews there were two popular solutions to the problem of Roman oppression:

A. One was to fight back. And so they did. Every now and again a Jewish
Messianic leader would arise who claimed to be anointed by
God -- and would lead the people in an armed revolt. Often
They also believed that God would assist them supernaturally. But,
these revolts failed again and again.

B. The other was to put the matter in God's hands. And so we have
the apocalyptic prophets of the Old Testament and other later
testimonies that claimed that God would act supernaturally
in a final day of judgment which would destroy the oppressor
and restore Israel to its just and rightful kingdom

Both, the people hope, would bring peace. But, it didn’t happen.

And into this world Jesus came proclaiming a different message, so different, so unexpected, so radical, that no one was prepared for it.
Especially since they were so intent on the messiah beging either one of the other solutions ... military or supernatural.

No, Jesus wasn't exactly what they wanted. But, God was up to other things.

But, how would Jesus really bring peace to the world?


9. Now, back in the 1950's when I grew up, we were in the midst of the cold war with Russia. In fact, just because World War II ended in l945 -- didn't mean that peace broke out around the world ... it just meant that the shooting and killing had ended. What happened next was the arms race, the nuclear arms race, and smaller wars ... like Korea and Viet Nam ... and growing up back then I worried about the Russians (and they worried about us.). It was a Cold War. Each side loaded up with missiles with nuclear warheads. It was a scary time ... being a kid. I wondered if we would be alive in 20 or 30 years time. And, some days, I am still pretty amazed, sometimes, that I am here today.

Back then, ministers and other people tried to calm peoples fears. Be calm, they said, be not afraid. Have peace of Mind. Norman Vincent Peale became famous for his book about Positive Thinking. And successful ministers also talked a lot about psychology and anxiety ... and pastor counseling was big. People were very worried. People were anxious. I remember one very successful pastor who could say the words of Paul in Philippians 4:7 "May the peace of God, which passeth all ...
understanding guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus."

Try saying that quickly... the peace of God with passeth all understanding ... He said it so smoothly and so gracefully ... you could just feel people kind of relax ... which it was meant to do.

About that time, another book acalled Peace of Mind, by Rabbi Joshua Lieberman, became a best seller, as well.

10. Wouldn't you like to have peace of mind today? What would that be like?
Would it be the absence of pain? Would it simply be peace and quiet? Would it be world peace? Would it be a good night's sleep? Would it be a caring loving family? Would it be a secure job? Would it be a cabin in the woods?

What would it be? We can think of lots of things, can't we?

But how to achieve it? -- that is the question.

Often, the cause of dissention, disappointment, pain, and trouble in our lives has to do with conflict. We are torn this way and that by desires and worries and concerns. We love this person, we want that possession, we don't know who we can trust. So we toss and turn at night -- somehow lacking the wisdom, the courage, the certainty to decide what it is we must do. In short, we have no peace. So, what can we do?

William Barclay, in his commentary, provides this advice:





If we are to heed Paul's admonishment: "Let the Peace of Christ rule in our hearts," then the key word here is rule. Instead of “rule” Barclay substitutes the
word -- umpire -- or arbiter. In other words, we need to have a basis or criteria on which to set our lives straight and make good decisions. And this is love. The love of God in Christ.

If we put this first, then we will cease to be pulled in different directions, according to Paul. To put it simpler, it comes down to that slightly overused slogan: "What would Jesus do?" WWJD

Well, Jesus said that the great commandment was to "Love the Lord Your God and Your Neighbor as Yourself." John Wesley also said this is the single best summary of the Christian life. And the truth is that it's not that difficult to understand – is it? What more do you need? What is it that you don't get?

11. But not everyone get’s it. Today, for instance, a lot of people are looking for peace in some form of spirituality and mediation or another. Everyone is looking and evidently not finding it because the bookstores are filled with books on spiritual practices old and new ... the choices are endless: Attend a Bible study, Go to a prayer meeting ... join a men's group ... go through a twelve step program ...
study Eastern religions .... go to a monastery ... get in touch with nature ... develop your inner potential ... the list goes on.

And I am not necessarily ... knocking these ideas ... I think it is good that a lot people are searching ... and trying new things ...

In fact, a couple of summers ago, I had an instructor who had been brought up as a Protestant and who left the Christian faith because of some traumatic experiences and practiced Buddhist meditation for many years ... then, one day, she woke up and said, I need to go back to church. And she went on to be a spiritual director and seminary instructor. And her years of meditation were not wasted ... because today she brings to her work a wealth of experience and the knowledge that people can grow and change and that God is always at work in our lives even when we don't know it.

12. Sometimes, nowadays, we seem to get so wrapped up in our religion that we forget that God is also at work in the world, too. And sometimes what we think we want or what God is doing ... isn't what God's purposes are at all. After all, we are not God.




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A few days ago I had coffee with a former co-worker who is a very spiritual person who is a kind of free thinking person. Yet, at the same time, she is always wanting to grow and has lots of questions about Jesus and God and religion. On the other hand, her husband, who is a recovering alcoholic has a more practical and black and white approach to religion. It's either this way or that, in his opinion. And while it works for him --- it drives her nuts. But, after we talked, it was clear that they loved and cared about each other and it wasn't worth fighting about. So, she told him she was not going to go to his Bible study group any more... but that she loved him anyway.

Isn’t that the way it works sometimes? Isn’t that a good way to handle it? For sometimes we are just not on the same page. But this should not stop us from loving and caring for them even if we disagree.

In addition, I learned that their grown up daughter is dabbling in Buddhist meditation. This also upsets her husband, who loves the daughter very much. What do I say to him? she asked me. What did you say? I asked her. "I told him to have more trust in God and things will work out. After all, it may just be a phase. Maybe she needs to explore something new a different to get some perspective.” Well, I said, that sounds sensible to me. After all, trying to argue with the daughter and getting all upset will only make matters worse.

So, in the end we need to understand, as Paul says, that Love is the final arbiter. That is what Christ is all about. The love of God in Christ surpasses all things. And it is in this love, above all things that we find peace of mind, heart, and soul.

13. Now, last summer, as you know, I stopped in the Black Hills to climb to the top of Harney Peak. Quite a spectacular place. You can see every direction
-- a full 360 degrees. This was once the holy place for Indian people. One of them, Black Elk, started out as a traditional medicine man. At the age of nine, he fell gravely ill and went into a trance. This last for several days. Not unlike, in a way, the famous vision of Julian of Norwich in England. This vision of Black Elks was recorded in a famous book by John G. Niehardt, in l932 called Black Elk Speaks. Some years later Black Elk also went up on the top of Harney Peak where he prayed for peace and understanding among all the nations and people's of the earth.

So, in addition to being a Souix Indian holy man, who was Black Elk? Well, what is not so widely known is that Black Elk later became a Christian under the influence of Catholic missionaries. Now, to this very day, there is a continuous controversy about whether Black Elk was a Christian or not and no one knows for sure. I personally think he was both.

14. Well, Today, and in the coming year, regardless of our personal concernsa we certainly all need to pray and hope for peace in the world. What kind of peace? Well, that is a really good question.

Will it be peace imposed by the sword, by the conqueror. Will it be the Peace of Rome ... Pax Romana? or will it be the Peace of Christ -- the peace of God -- created by love?

Which kind of peace will it be?

Before he died, Black Elk said this:

There are three forms of peace in the world.

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the Universe and all its Powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men and women.

15. What kind of God is it we believe in? A God of judgment, who turns people away because their religion makes no sense and does not help them live better and more loving and caring lives. Or a God of Peace and Compassion ... in who we can live and have our being. A God who, in Christ Jesus, entered this world ... that we might become closer to Him and to one another. And that we might find, at last, the true peace which only God can give.