Heavenly Peace

Philippians 4:6-7

Heavenly Peace (Remix of Sunday’s Sermon – audio at www.firstgrandville.org under Resources and Downloads)

Peace, real peace seems hard to come by these days. Where can it be found?

In the world, in our nation, in our churches, in our communities, in our homes and in our hearts – there is little peace. Everywhere you look, there seems to be strife, turmoil and havoc.

And it shows no signs of stopping.

I don’t know that I have any answers about stopping it. Which really only leaves – how to exist, survive, and maybe even thrive in the midst of the turmoil.

Obviously, there are a lot of choices as to how we try to search for peace in our lives. This peace can be defined as rest, or an escape, or an inner calm.

Usually we seek peace through the things of this world. And we usually seek it on our own power.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Starting off on the wrong foot”? Any search for peace that begins with “I” is like that. It may work for a while, but in the end it will probably make things worse.

For example, when we are stressed and overwhelmed by all this turmoil in our lives and we want to find some peace, some might think, “I need a drink” or “I need another prescription or pill” or “I need to go on the Internet to look at some pictures” or “I need to use (drugs or people)” or “I need to go shopping” or “I just need to control others or situations” or many other things that “take the edge off.” And unfortunately, when we rely on these “sources” of peace too often, well, they can become quite the opposite of peace – they can become prisons and cause more and more chaos in our lives. When we rely on them so much – we can start to worship them. The problem is that they are “gods” that don’t give life or peace – they steal them.

You see, the things of this world cannot produce the peace we actually desire. Seeking peace with anything that begins with “I” won’t work. But there is one thing that can…

“Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message).”

Did you catch that? “A sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.” God’s wholeness – better than anything on earth – check. Everything coming together for good – not worrying about yesterday, today or tomorrow – check. (It) will come and settle you down – received rather than sought after or created – check.

Received from where?

Received from knowing and believing in Jesus as savior and that through Him we are forgiven and free – this is the one true source of peace in this world, but not of this world – from Heaven above.

“None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I am absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us (Romans 8: 38-39 The Message).”

Received how?

Received through prayer. Prayer doesn’t start with “I” – it starts with “Lord” or “God” or “Help!” “Instead of worrying (or seeking peace in the things mentioned above), pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers…” Like using a hammer, we need to use prayer to bang and shape our fretting, worries and strife into requests and cries to God – who will hear them and respond.

Guess what else prayer does? There is a letting go in prayer. Maybe you have heard it as “Giving it over to God.” When we are “doing” something ourselves or just continuing to worry we are keeping it. When we pray, we are giving “it” to God. Each time we pray about something, it is a little less ours and little more in God’s hands. Do you see?

I have heard so many great stories of people, in the middle of disasters and chaos, talk about feeling at peace – facing death even, with peace. Some have described it as feeling like they are being enveloped in a warm blanket. I just know it’s real. I have been blessed to witness it many times. For me personally, I can think of times where things looked pretty bad, but somehow I felt okay – the experience was like God whispering “It’s okay” and I believed it and it was wonderful. I just need to rest in that more!

“It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:7).” Focusing on Christ and others instead of ourselves through prayer is a main catalyst of this process of displacing worry and all the ways we have tried to deal with turmoil in our lives.

Speaking of prayer, my prayer for us during this season when we think and sing about “heavenly peace” is this: I pray that God gives each of us the clarity of vision to see and name those places in our lives where we are seeking peace in ways that ultimately make things worse; and that the peace of Jesus Christ will not only knock on the doors or our hearts but will tear them down if necessary and chase away strife, turmoil and havoc and replace it with a peace we have never known.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. Before reading this, how would you describe peace?
2. Are there some things you are doing to deal or cope with life that may offer peace in the short-term but are actually destructive? Is there someone you can talk to about it?
3. Are you feeling overwhelmed often? What are the sources of these feelings? Try turning each one into a prayer.
4. What are some ways you can turn worries into prayers today?

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The Weight

Can you feel it?

 

You can’t really see it, but it’s there.

 

It’s this weight. The weight of trying to be good enough (for God and for others), trying to do enough, trying to accomplish, trying to be a success, of trying to measure up.

 

Translated into real life, this weight feels like many things. Maybe it’s caring for or providing for others in serious circumstances without any help. Maybe it’s trying to solve problems with impossible solutions. Sometimes it’s carrying guilt for ourselves or others. Often it is trying to be something that someone else put on us – or the opposite. Maybe it’s trying to prove something that no one even knows about. A lot of times it is fear that drives us – the fear of being rejected, the fear of not appearing to have it altogether – or the drive to appear spiritual or religious.  

 

And it is probably others too. You know what I am talking about. But here’s what happens – it just keeps getting heavier. And you feel weighed down. No matter how hard we try, or how much stronger we think we are, the weight keeps increasing.

 

Christian singer Josh Wilson has a song that is about this whole thing. It’s called “Savior, please.” One part goes, “I try to be so tough; But I’m just not strong enough; I can’t do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me; I try to be good enough; But I’m nothing without Your love.”

I’ll speak for myself, but maybe for you too, I do try to be tough and carry it all. I do sometimes think I can do this by myself. And then I reach points where it becomes very clear that I can’t. Very discouraging times. Sound familiar?

 

Here’s the thing. Most – most of the weight you and I carry is too much and was never meant for us to carry. Whether you want to call it weight, or darkness or something else, “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).” The key parts being…He rescues…He transfers us…through Him we have redemption and forgiveness. Not us.

 

And this is why the weight or darkness feels so heavy. Because we are carrying or trying or doing things that only One could do and has already done.

 

It’s like being asked to start at quarterback for an NFL team this Sunday without any practice and not having the skills. Scary (or funny to watch depending on your perspective). Or, have you ever tried to lift something that is clearly too heavy? You give it a try and then you quickly realize that it will not be moving. Do you keep trying to lift it? Usually we seek some help. But we don’t do this we other “weighty” things in life, right? We keep trying to lift – straining, grunting, and sometimes even hurting ourselves – without “it” ever moving.

 

Some more help from Josh Wilson’s song, “Savior, please”, “Hallelujah; Everything You are to me; Is everything I’ll ever need; And I am learning to believe; That I don’t have to prove a thing; ‘Cause You’re the one who’s saving me.”

 

You don’t have to carry that weight alone anymore – He can handle it. You can leave the darkness behind for the light – He’s waiting for you. You can become good enough – by just calling on His name.

 

I am praying that you can really start to feel the freedom, the grace, and the unconditional love of Jesus.

 

Can you feel it?

 

Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What are some weights in your life that you are carrying? From where or whom did they come?
2. On a scale of 1-10, one being a feather, ten being an anvil – where are you in what you are carrying?
3. What is keeping you from letting go of one or more of these weights? Is it working for you to keep carrying them?
4. What is one positive step you can take toward letting go or leaving darkness behind?

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The Ugliest Day

Mark 15:25-32

The Ugliest Day  

“25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him… 29 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!”…“He saved others; he cannot save himself… Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.”

 

            Good Friday.

 

            One thing about Good Friday is what it reveals about us humans. You know it is the day Jesus died for our sins; He atones for our sins and takes the punishment so that we can be reconciled with God. You know that part…

 

            But there is another part of this that may often be missed.

           

            This is such an ugly scene. We have seen some very terrible things in our lifetimes – wars, murder, terrorism, September 11^th, all of these are/were awful in their own ways. And all of those were perpetrated by…other humans. 

 

            When you read the above passage we see many of the same things, directed of course at one person. And this is the crucial part of the magnitude of this. The victim or target here is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. Here is a sample of how He was treated: Put on the cross; He was innocent but was put in the same place as criminals; humiliated and put down; and taunted by officials and the criminals. This is how we treated God then; this is how we often treat God now.

 

            Good Friday is a naked revelation of how awful and ugly the human heart can be. It is a revelation of how far away the human heart can stray from God’s Word and ways. It is a revelation of the hatred and violence and disregard the human heart is capable. It shows how easy it is to be blinded by fear and hatred to “eliminate the problem.” And before you say, “That was then and this is now,” is it really? Don’t we do these things in little ways in our lives? And while we were not there physically that day, as the old hymn asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” – Yes we were. The character of humanity, in which we share, was there and at its worst.

 

            And while all of this ugliness is on display, it is called “good.” Why? How?

 

            Because even for all of what happened on that day, and all the minor ways we today mirror the hatred, violence and disregard; all of the culmination of sins in which we live and are drenched in – even with all that – and really, thanks only to Jesus going to the cross and taking all of this on, there still is an Easter morning, the resurrection and the possibility of new and eternal life.

           

            And for us, as much as we hate; as much as we kill; as much as we disregard God and others – thanks to Jesus, the door is open to acknowledge that in all that we need a savior to redeem us from all that we have done. And by acknowledging Him as our savior and repenting of our sins – we will die and be raised by, through and be with Him forever. There is this great quote by a church father named Gregory of Nyssa, “What is not assumed, is not healed.” This is a good explanation of why Good Friday had to be so bad. While on the cross, Jesus assumed the sin of the world, this fallen heart and character of humanity, so that it could be healed. So yes, was it ugly and terrible? But, it had to be to make our redemption possible.

 

            You see, we will never begin to fully understand God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ until we start to see from where it comes – from the depths and horror of sin and darkness and suffering and isolation of the cross. It wouldn’t be God’s awesome, life-giving, liberating and eternal grace, if it didn’t require a savior, a savior named Jesus…

 

            Later this week, on Good Friday, please take time to reflect on what the “good” means to you.

 

            Amen.  

 

Discussion Questions

1. Prior to reading this what were you thoughts about Good Friday?
2. What are some of your thoughts on sin after thinking about Good Friday in the above way?
3. What are some ways we can personally reflect/acknowledge Good Friday in light of this Scripture?
4. Think of some adjectives to describe the events described in the above passage.

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

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Once Upon a Time, Christmas 2008

You know that every great story starts with “Once upon a time”…when you hear those words…it makes you think a certain way…

Every great romance story has key ingredients – you need a hero, you have a beloved who has become lost or captured or stolen, you have an enemy or at least some tremendous obstacles, you have a daring rescue, and then you have the reunion…

Have you ever thought of Christmas in this way?

Let me show you…

Once upon a time, there was a King and he was Holy and He was almighty and He was Good and He was Just. And he created a beloved, a people that He made with His own hands. And His one desire was for them to belong to him, to be His own people.

The King had a powerful enemy who envied the relationship between the King and his beloved people. And almost immediately began poisoning the hearts and trust of the beloved people with seduction and suggestion. And, as is often the case, they developed what we would call, wandering hearts…the King always kept his promises to the beloved people but they would always break them.

Their wandering hearts and love for the King caused them to be separated, distracted, impure, lost and in darkness, asleep you might say, certainly unable to see or hear him.

Well, the King knew all along what it would take to win his beloved people back. It would take a daring rescue. It would take losing something very dear to him, but this love was worth it to him. The King would send his son, the prince to rescue the beloved people – he would risk it all.

But first, he knew that in order to awaken this love, he would have to appear in such a way that his love would recognize and see a rare beauty…and so he appeared in the form of a child, a baby. He knew that it would it be very important for the beloved people to see themselves in the prince. They could say, “He is like us…and if he is like us, maybe we could be like him.” And perhaps that would enflame their hearts for the prince.

Now part of this was for recognition because of course who can resist loving a child…but there was another purpose, the prince knew that in order to win the beloved people back, he would have to meet them where they were – he would have to descend to where they had fallen, which was in the darkness and decay of the world and bring light into that darkness in such a way that the beloved people would be able to step out of the darkness and follow the prince back. This would have to happen, not through a spell, not through magic but through true love and living in a way that made the love belong again to the king. And the people who were unable to do this on their own, would be given the power to step out of the darkness through the gifts of the prince – namely, his life, his words, his Spirit which he would give to them and his absorbing all the evil and corruption and darkness of the beloved people, so that it could be destroyed.

You see the love had lived so long in the darkness that it had become rather comfortable. And the enemy of the prince who was crafty, had seduced the beloved people into a way of living that was not worthy of the King. And because of who the King was, his character, his beloved people had to be made worthy of Him and they were not so, while in the darkness.

And so the prince had to come not only to be visible enough to be seen in the darkness, he had to teach the beloved people the way back to God, but also had to pay the price for the love’s unfaithfulness. Which he did with his life, but that’s a story for another time…

And so on an ordinary night, long ago, the prince came into the world, like any other child, and began the rescue of the King’s people. But it wasn’t easy, he was a prince born into poverty, he was light and he came into darkness, he was life and enemies wanted to kill him as soon as he was born…

I would tell you that this was the end, but it was just the beginning, because many of the King’s beloved people did see the beauty of the prince and fell in love with him and returned to the King with the hearts and with they way that they had lived, just as the King had known all along…the plan is working!

And although the darkness still existed, it was never the same after the prince’s arrival and the beloved people not only returned to the King but they started to help rescue others who were lost in the darkness by sharing the great story of the prince’s rescue – which drew people out of the darkness into the light.

And to this day, while the beloved people live for the King, they wait for the prince who after completing the rescue went back to the King and promised to return and bring them to the Kingdom one day…the great reunion that has already begun when the King and His beloved people will be reunited fully and forever, happily ever after you might say…

So I have no “The End” for you…this story is “to be continued” until that day…

Beloved people of God, this is no fairy tale romance, this is our good news story, our real story, our story of faith, and we are his beloved people for whom he sent his son the prince who would trade his life for ours to rescue us as well as giving us the power to turn away from the darkness and step toward the light…

Once upon a time, we were a people that walked in a deep darkness, but on us a light has shined. Once upon a time, on this wonderful, mysterious night, our hero, Jesus, came into this world disguised as a child and began rescuing us. Once upon a time, and even now…

Amen.

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