To Be People of Peace, Prayer, and Patience

John 14:27 (NIV): Peace, Prayer, and Patience

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.

Here we are in the wake of yet another school shooting. Where is the peace?

Jesus’ words in John 14 identify two kinds of peace. There is the peace of the world: This is a peace that is a mirage, for it is temporary and dependent on the flawed foundation of the human ego. Peace of the world is a corrupt peace; it is a peace dependent on personal priority. Worldly peace is the peace of “me.” Christ’s peace, on the other hand, is an internal peace that only the Holy Spirit can give. His is a peace that opposes that of the world. Christ’s peace is an active peace, for it is a peace that we feel when we pour ourselves out to others. It is a peace of sacrifice and love of neighbor. Christ’s peace endures, radiates, and gives life; the world’s peace falls short, stagnantes, and self-serves.

Coming home from church this week, my teenage son commented, “Dad, we did not pray for the victims of the Texas school shooting today. Why?” Again, this is  a question for which I do not have an answer. Although we do pray for victims of violence each week and we pray for those who have passed, have we become numb to the specificity of the events themselves? Has “school shooting” become a phrase in our vernacular that no longer connotes the sensitivity that it once did?

I keep coming back to Jesus’ words to his apostles: “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The world’s events will never bring us peace. It is Christ in us that brings peace to the world, his peace. And although we may not know how to assuage the anxiety of our families, students, and the people we interact with day to day, we can count on the power of the Holy Spirit in us to radiate the true peace of Christ’s love to those who hurt, to those who question, and to those who mourn.

Let us pray for the peace of Christ to be in the hearts of a people, especially those who feel the pain and emptiness of loss, the fear of the future, and the weariness of the world’s threats. Let us pray to be the agents of Christ’s peace and love to all, for his is the only peace that perseveres. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan