Finding Peace in a Season of Stress
Philippians 4:1-9
Lucinda Norman writes of her experience Christmas shopping at the mall. People had been pushing, elbowing and cutting in front of her all day. During a 10 minute extra 10% off special, one woman grabbed a lace table cloth from her hands, looked her in the eye and said, “Mine!” She yanked it back and won. By 4 pm her mood was belligerent. She met some friends at a mall restaurant and flagged down a server. She barked, “I need a hot tea now!” The waitress snapped back, “I’m not your server. Wait your turn.” Lucinda responded, “Lady, I’ve been waiting my turn all day. Bring me some tea!” But the waitress ignored her. A few moments later, a friend young man came to their tables and said, “I’m Rob, your waiter.” After he took their order, Lucinda watched Rob as he helped the rude waitress with her tray. He greeted the other customers and staff with a smile on his face. In the midst of all of the hurried customers and chaos of the season, he had a polite and unhurried atmosphere of calm. When he refilled her tea, Lucinda noticed a siver ring on his hand made of connected letters spelling Jesus. And then she writes, “From that moment, my attitude changed. This young man’s example had reminded me of the peace that Christ came to bring.” And for the rest of the day, Lucinda enjoyed shopping, opened doors for other and let others in front of her in the checkout line, all in an atmosphere of peace.
In a world like ours with everything that is going on in world events and the Christmas season, peace is a major concern, isn’t it? The problem is everyone wants peace but no one has a clear answer on how to get it. We live in the midst of crowded streets and malls and last minute Christmas shopping and cards that still need to be addressed, parties to attend, homes to decorate, cooking to be done and presents to wrap and the pressure just continues to build on us. This time of year, we need peace more than anything else so what does God say about peace? Look at almost any of the prophecies or announcements of the angels of the birth of Christ and you’ll find the words, “Peace.” Isaiah prophesied, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Zechariah says, “He will proclaim peace to the nations.” Zec. 9:10b Micah add, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,…And he will be our peace” Micah 5:4-5 The promise of God is that we have at our fingertips a “peace that passes all understanding” through Jesus Christ. But when we look at the reality of our lives, they are instead filled with worries, stresses and strains.
So how do we find peace and what is it really? There’s the story of a young art student who was asked by the professor to paint a picture of peace. When he was almost done, the professor approached the young man’s paints and was surprised. On the canvass was painted storm clouds, war, sickness and death. But in the middle of it was painted a tree and on one of its branches was a little bird with its wings spread wide and the bird was singing. The was perplexed and said, this as an assignment about peace. And the young man responded, “I did. You see the little bird is at peace in his surroundings because he believed in God’s promise that he would never be given more that he could bare.”
That’s the type of peace God assures us but how do we attain it? There are three aspects of peace. The first is peace with God. That comes first through accepting his forgiveness in your life. We who are sinners have been offered forgiveness through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It’s a free gift. You can’t buy it or earn it but you must accept it. That’s what receiving Holy Communion is all about. When we have received and accepted God’s forgiveness, then we can rejoice and know that we are once again united with God. The second aspect of peace with God comes in knowing God’s will and then pursuing it and living it out. Peace comes when you know you are living as God intended. Do you know God’s will and are you living it out? Mark Christian writes, “One of the keys to understanding our relationship to God is in understanding that God wants us to obey Him not for His sake but for ours. God loves us so much that he wants us to avoid the pitfalls and disappointments in life. He knows that when we take on the attitude of Christ, we be happy and satisfied. Our obedience to Him is to our great benefit in our lives and forever. Our God is a God of peace and wants us to enjoy peace, but that peace comes out of obedience to His will for our life.”
Second is peace with others. The church at Philippi did not have peace. One of the main reasons was that two women, Euodia and Syntyche in the church were fighting with one another. We have no record of what they were fighting about but it was creating enough of a problem in the church that word had gotten all the way Paul in prison. The writer of Hebrews says, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no root of bitterness and anger grows up to cause trouble and destroy many.” Hebrews 12:15 If you don’t deal with the anger and bitterness in your relationships, it can grow and cause a great divide which not only impacts that relationship and the peace in your heart but your relationship to God. Thomas Morgan tells of being in a Bible study on the Sermon of the Mount where Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” The discussion turned to the world and its wars, famine, terrorism and factions. Many in the group hoped that God would somehow bring about peace. But then one woman said, “It seems like God and Jesus Christ are calling us to be “peace makers” and not just “peace hopers.” That is one of those statements that should cause us to stop and examine what we are doing to be peacemakers rather than just peace hopers. That is why the old communion liturgy says that if you are not in love and charity with your neighbor then go first and be reconciled to them before you receive these elements of reconciliation to God.
Paul gives us three keys to establishing peace in your lives. First, focus on what binds us together. He says we are to “agree in the Lord.” So instead of focusing on the problem and that which divides, focus on that which unites us together and that is our faith in Jesus Christ and the grace we have all received in him and their common mission together. Paul reminded the church at Philippi of all the work they had done together in the past. They had faithfully served their Lord and their church to bring other people to faith, to minister to those in need and to build the kingdom of God. They had worked side by side for the same purpose. Focus on the things which bind you together. Second, remember, they are children of God. Paul says that these two troublemakers have their names written in the Book of Life. To often when we have a conflict with someone, we make them out ot be much worse that they really are. We need to remember first and foremost they are children of God. And absolutely nothing they say or do can change that. They too are recipients of grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And third, seek and receive the help of others. Paul asked the other believers in the church to intervene and seek resolution to this conflict. But that also means we must be willing to accept the help of others. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Matt. 5:9 When you seek peace or help to bring peace between two Christians fighting who are fighting then you are taking on the character of Christ. Listen, no one likes conflict. But Jesus didn't say that following him was ever going to be easy. Following Jesus means doing the uncomfortable and bringing to light the anger, hurt and division that can sometimes arise in us. Are you willing to follow Jesus and be a peacemaker? Attaining peace this Christmas begins with being a peacemaker yourself.
Third is peace within. We are a society of discontentment. All of the advertisements seek to make you unhappy with what you have in life and to want more in the hope that it will bring joy and happiness. The book of James addresses the battles which rage within us: “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:1-4 Peace comes when you gain contentment with what you have. As long as the world influences your contentment, you will never have enough nor find that peace and joy within. Contentment comes with giving thanks to God for what we already have and seeing them as blessings from God. This season and all of its advertising is tempting us to focus on material things rather than spiritual things. So a key to inner peace is to focus on the things of God. You have heard it said that an empty mind is the devil’s workshop. Well, a mind that is filled with the world’s desiresis one that will rob you of peace. Paul encourages us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:5 So what is occupying your thoughts and mind this Christmas season? Paul says we are to focus on the things which are noble, right just and pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Does that sound like you should focus on getting that new Lexus with the big red bow on it or the things of God? The battle for peace is lost or won in our minds. If you want to experience peace this Christmas, focus on Jesus.
Peace is something we expect to be a part of Christmas. The Jewish people expected the coming of the Messiah to bring peace. But their idea of peace was what a strong military ruler could force upon people. But that's not the kind of peace Christ came to bring. He brought the peace that we can see in a child-- in a baby-- in an irresistible helpless child. Dr. Bryant Kirkland, pastor of 5th Ave. Pres. Church in NY was traveling to do a series of sermons on the west coast. He needed time on that 3 hour flight to study and prepare, so he buckled down and let everyone near me feel the tension. His body language said, "Don't bother me, I'm a busy man with places to go and work to do." A young woman and a baby slipped into the seat next to me. I knew it was going to be difficult, so I kept a straight face and looked very Presbyterian. It lasted 6 minutes. Pretty soon this little boy began fussing around. "Man, man," he cooed up at me. I couldn't resist. I put my sermon back into my briefcase, picked him up and just loved him all the way across the country. When we landed in LA his mother said to me "Thank you for doing that. He lost his father not long ago. He hasn't had a man to muss him up like that and love him. Thank you so much." And Dr. Kirkland says he realized as he got off the plane and pushed into the crowd just how much joy and peace that little boy had brought into his own heart when he was least prepared for it to happen. Sometimes a child can do that-- get into a heart that has been locked up tight for years and bring peace.
